Ultima
by Jive Maxwell
Summary: Sora teams up with Link, the Gundam Wing guys,the characters of Xenosaga, Cowboy Bebop, Yu-gi-oh and more to fight all the bad guys. And I do mean all.
1. Default Chapter

Part One

By Jive Maxwell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(Kingdom Hearts: Destiny Island)

Soon. 

"What?" Sora sat up. He was on the familiar, sandy, island

beach, but was staring at a sea so black that there was no difference

between it and the starless night sky; it was impossible to tell where

the two met.

"What is it?" Sora tried again.

Perpetual darkness. 

The voice speaking to him was loud and clear, yet it made no

sound. Sora was familiar with it; he knew how to listen to his

heart.

Unless every world is united, they will all be hunted down, one

by one, and covered in an immortal shroud of evil. 

"What can I do to help?" Sora demanded instantly.

Gather the hearts. 

"The...hearts? Whose hearts? Where do I find them, and what

do I do with them?"

So many questions, Sora. The answers will come to you in

time, but first you must...wake up...

"Wake up!"

"Huh?" Sora mumbled groggily.

"Hey! What's your problem?" Riku laughed softly.

Sora glanced around. He was on the pier with Riku, and it was

noon. The sun was bright and warm, and the water lapping onshore

was familiar, comforting. There was no evil here.

"What happened?" Sora wondered in a daze.

"You fell asleep, Sora," Riku explained, smiling curiously.

"What's the matter with you? How could you just doze off like that?"

Riku ran a gloved hand through his silky, white hair, moving it out of

his clear, piercing, bright blue eyes as he waited for Sora's reply.

"I-I dunno..." Sora scratched his head, which was covered in a

random mess of brown spikes. He had blue eyes as well, but unlike

Riku's, they were full of warmth and kindness. "I had this dream," he

continued. "It was like...eternal darkness was coming, and I had to

gather these hearts-"

"Hey, come on!" Riku said, putting his hands on Sora's

shoulders and giving his friend a shake that made his eyes roll and

head spin. "It was just a dream; you're alright now."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sora chuckled.

Riku was like a big brother to him; they had grown up together,

looked out for each other and loved to compete against one another,

even if Riku, at 16, was a year older than Sora was.

A while ago, however, something had happened that had put

their friendship through its greatest test. Luckily, their bond had held

and they were able to save their world and others against evil

creatures called Heartless.

"Hey, you guys!" Kairi called from the beach.

"Hi, Kairi!" Both boys called back, identical smiles plastered

onto their faces.

Kairi was a pretty girl, about Sora and Riku's age, and they both

liked her a lot; most of their rivalry centered around competing for

her attention.

"Wanna come to my house?" Kairi asked. "Mom's making

lemonade, and we can have cookies, too!"

"Alright!" Sora cheered, his appetite getting the better of him.

"Ha ha! I'll race you there!" Riku laughed, shoving Sora off the

wharf and into the water before running away.

"Rikuuuu!" Sora yelled. "I'll get you for that!" Riku laughed

some more as Sora watched him go.

And Sora smiled; some things never changed.

(The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule, Kokori Village)

Link slept 'til 10, and kept on sleeping. Between his many

adventures, it was nice to get some rest.

It was nearly 11 before someone shaking him gently awakened

him.

"Epona..." Link mumbled reproachfully.

"It's me, sleepy head," Saria scolded, dragging Link out of bed

by an arm.

Link was a quiet, blond haired, elfish boy, and was loved by

many for his bravery and helpfulness.

He sat back to hear what his friend Saria had to say.

"The young Deku tree has asked to see you; it sounds really

important; I think you should hurry."

Link nodded, reached out to his bedside table for his belt,

sheath, and sword, and went outside.

Epona was waiting for him at the bottom of the tree house. She

nudged his hand happily when he got off the ladder, and was still

chewing a mouthful of grass.

He gave her a pat and got on her back, and they rode swiftly to

the place where the newest Deku tree was flourishing, leaping the

stepping-stones over the small pond and through the small canyon.

Then Link hopped off his young mare and rushed forward to

meet the Deku tree.

"Hello, Link!" the young plant said cheerfully. "Sleep well?"

Link shook his head: too many nightmares.

"Sorry to hear it. But I guess you're wondering why I called you here, huh?"

Link nodded.

"Well, I called you here because I got a message from

princess Zelda a while ago."

Link straightened up instantly; he liked princess Zelda; she was

really nice to him, and always had something fun for him to do: some

new adventure.

"What is it?" Link asked anxiously.

"She wants to see you," the Deku tree explained. She's waiting

in Hyrule Castletown. You're to leave as soon as you're ready,

understand?"

Link nodded.

(Later that evening.)

Link stared up at Hyrule castle from the back of his faithful

horse. Leaving her at the drawbridge, Link entered the peaceful little

town.

Once inside, he was overcome by the many voices and

bustling activity of the marketplace. But he was glad, too: a while

ago- no: in the future- the town had been destroyed by the evil

sorcerer, Ganon, and had become empty and hollow with despair,

like a world that had lost its heart. Link had traveled back and forth

through time to save Hyrule, and then gone on to rescue a strange,

secret world called Clocktown from an evil mask called Majora, using

the same methods.

Still, Link knew that there was always one place he could return

to when he was in trouble: the Temple of Time.

Now it was as peaceful and as impressive as usual, welcoming

Link with open doors. It always seemed so far away from the rest of

the world, and Link felt relaxed, racing up its familiar steps. He had

once slept in this temple for seven years.

Inside, he knew what he would find. The ever constant,

soothing, mystical melody echoed with magic power. The Door of

Time was now closed, but the three mythical stones remained,

turning majestically on the ancient pedestal.

Zelda was there as well; she jumped a bit when Link tapped

her on the shoulder.

"You're here!" she exclaimed, giving Link a hug. "It's so good

to see you again!"

The boy's eyes widened and he blushed.

"Hi, princess," he said shyly.

"Link," she gasped, finally letting him go. "Do you still have the

Ocarina of time?"

Link nodded proudly and showed her.

"That's good," Zelda sighed with relief. "Link, a new evil is

threatening to destroy Hyrule- no! The entire universe! I have seen

it!"

"How can we stop it?" Link asked.

"No world can stand against it alone," Zelda told him. "They

must be warned of the danger, and brought together to fight as one.

Do you understand?"

Link shook his head.

"How?" he wondered.

"Link, every world has a heart. Did you know that?"

Link had never really thought about it. To him, a world always

seemed like an old friend that you could help and revisit again and

again. He shrugged.

"Well, anyway, if you can find where the world keeps its heart,

unlock it's secret, and bring all the hearts together, then all the worlds

will become one, see?"

"And then they'll be safe?"

"Not exactly," Zelda sighed. "But at least they'll have a chance."

(Kingdom Hearts: the Secret Place)

Like a giant wave. 

"What do you mean?" Sora asked. He had been led somehow

to the Secret Place beside the waterfall on Destiny Island, a place

that held many memories for him. It was where, nearly a year ago,

his journey had begun, and where he had returned.

Like a giant wave, the voice said within him softly, warningly,

the evil approaches, threatening to wash over this world. 

"I won't let it be destroyed again!" Sora said quickly, taking out

his Keyblade.

So you have not forgotten. 

Sora shook his head.

"Just, please, tell me what to do."

Heartstone. 

"What's that?"

You once sealed away the heart of all worlds, Sora. Did you

never wonder what it was? What it looked like? 

"I just wanted them to be safe."

And you did save them, the voice admitted. But now they

are in danger once again, and you cannot save them on your own. 

"But then how-"

Patience. You will not be alone. 

"Then who--"

You will work with a new partner now, Sora- one who has seen

many strange places and just as many strange times-- 

"Sora? Are you in here?" It was Riku.

"Riku-" Sora called.

Riku cannot come now. His heart is still sore, even with guilt. 

"There you are, Sora. Who are you talking to?" Riku asked.

Are you ready to go, Sora? 

"Riku! I have to leave!" Sora said quickly.

"Where are you going?"

"I really don't know, but I need you to promise me something."

"Is this a game?"

"No! I want you to look after Kairi- and yourself- no matter what

happens, okay?"

"Sure, Sora."

A light began to glow from inside Sora, and he knew it was

time.

"Sora? Sora, what's happening to you?!"

"It's okay! I'll come back for you," Sora assured him. Riku held

out his hand. Sora reached for it, but before he could grab it, he

disappeared in a deep glow and was gone.

"Sora!...I...I'll protect her."

(The Legend of Zelda: Temple of Time)

"Link," Zelda said sadly. "A sword, horse, and ocarina will not

be enough to face the evil in store."

Link stared at the magical instrument in his hand uncertainly.

"You need not worry; you have other powers you can rely on,

and you have used the one you will need most now before: it is the

power of friendship. Can you use that for me, Link?"

Link nodded loyally.

"Yes, well, I'm going to stay here," Zelda added, and Link

looked disappointed. "Your partner this time..." the princess closed

her eyes for a moment, "...is on his way."

A bright light filled the room suddenly, and, when the display

faded, a boy was there where the light had been. His back was to

them.

"Riku," he sighed.

Link was eager to meet him.

"Hi," he said quickly. "I'm-"

But the boy Sora turned suddenly, startled, and drew his

weapon. In defense, Link drew his Kokori sword.

The two of them began dueling immediately.

Link rolled forwards and made a slash at his foe, but Sora

laughed.

"Ha! I can do that, too!" he cried.

He showed Link by doing a dodge roll, then doubled back with

a high jump and tested Link with a down slash.

Link blocked the threatening blow with his own sword, and then

cart wheeled away.

The two circled warily, studying each other and getting a feel

for their opponent's abilities.

"Come on!" Sora demanded suddenly, charging forwards.

"Ho!" Link yelled, back flipping onto the pedestal.

"Ha hah!" The brown haired boy followed.

"Oh no!" Zelda cried. "Link, please! Stop this at once! This is

Sora!"

Link paused uncertainly.

"Oh, are you Link?"

Link nodded proudly.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Sora- like she said." Sora sheathed

his weapon and scratched the back of his neck. "I guess we're

partners now, huh?"

Link didn't look too happy about that all of a sudden.

"Well, I hope you two learn to get along soon," Zelda scolded.

"You have a long journey ahead of you."

To be continued...

JM: It gets better, I swear.

Link: I wanna new partner.

Sora: Quit complaining, the both of you.

JM: Please review.


	2. ChapterTwo

Part Two

By Jive Maxwell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Western Ocean.)

In a display of magical lights and a high-pitched whistling

sound, Link appeared, followed by Sora.

They were standing in ocean waters, just a short distance

away from a sandy beach.

"A few more feet and we wouldn't have had to get wet,"

Sora said with a sigh.

Link stared up at him.

"But I don't mind;" Sora added quickly. "I like the ocean.

Where are we? This doesn't look like my island."

Link looked around and recognized the foreign shore.

"Great Bay Coast," he said to Sora. "The Western Ocean."

"Have you been here before?" Sora asked.

Link nodded, then raised his Ocarina to his lips and played

a strange song.

"What's that called?" Sora wanted to know.

"The New Wave Bossa Nova." Link said proudly, holding

up the Ocarina as if to show him. "I just remembered it;

Now Mikau is coming."

"Who's Mik-"

There was a sudden splash as something exploded from

the surface of the water; Sora ducked, expecting the worst:

sharks, moray eels, tidal waves, giant sea witches...

"Little dude!" said a watery voice. "You're back! Didja

come to see the band?"

Link shook his head.

Sora jumped when he saw who- or what- Link was talking

to; a whitish being with blue spots on his back and

shoulders, webbed hands and feet with a fin on the back of

his head was standing where the eruption had taken place,

looking like he had once belonged to a zoo.

"Didja come to save us all again then?" the Zora asked.

Link nodded. "I have to find the Keyhole."

"You mean we," Sora said, with a wide smile.

"Who's your friend?" Mikau asked.

"Sora," Link said crossly.

"Yeah, uh, hi! I'm Sora," Sora chuckled, getting over his

shock and reaching out to shake Mikau's hand. He put his hands

behind his back to brush off a few crusty scales.

"Do you know where we might find someone who would

know about the Keyhole?" Sora asked.

"You should try Kafei;" Mikau suggested. "Little dude from

Clocktown is always out studying the 'geolgy'; I think that's

what he says it is."

"Uh, thanks for the tip," Sora admitted. "Hey, Link, do you

know where this Clocktown is?"

Link nodded, put the ocarina to his mouth and played

another song.

"So...heh heh," Sora said nervously. "Who's coming

now?"

"Epona."

There was a distant neigh, followed by the sound of

hooves, and then Link's horse, Epona, approached, racing

across the sandy beach.

Link waded through the water to meet her. He waved to

Mikau and Sora, and then rode away.

"HEY!" Sora yelled, running after the smaller boy. "WAIT!

We're supposed to be a team!"

After finally catching up to Link and a short, uncomfortable

ride to Clocktown, Sora found himself following Link through the

strange little place called Clocktown.

It reminded Sora a bit of Traverse Town, the first world

other than his home that he had visited.

Link went to a building with a sign that read: 'Stock Pot Inn'.

"Link, come on," Sora scowled. "This is no time for a nap!"

Link shot Sora a glare and knocked on the door. Sora was

beginning to get the feeling that Link didn't like him much.

"We closed 10 minutes ago!" someone called from inside.

Link knocked again.

A young girl opened the door.

"Hi, I'm Sora," Sora said, blushing. "Sorry, my friend here-"

"Link!" the girl cried happily. She grabbed Link in a warm

hug. "I'm so glad to see you again! Hello, uh, Sora, is it? I'm Anju.

Won't you come in?"

"Kafei," Link said simply.

"You, too?" Anju sighed. "Now that my husband is their

size, all the kids- the Bombers, and the other town children,

keep asking for him to come out and play. Well, he's not here,"

Anju said crossly. "And I don't think it's fitting for a grown man

in a child's body to play with children. He should be out working

like other men. In fact," she added proudly, "he's out working

right now, studying the ruins in Ikana Canyon. Though I don't

know what he sees in that creepy place. He keeps babbling

about some secret 'Keyhole' he's been researching. I think he's

been expecting you, Link."

Link and Sora gasped and, for the first time, smiled at each

other.

"Let's go!" Sora cheered, walking away, with the idea of

returning to Epona. Link grabbed his wrist to stop him and

held up his ocarina.

"This way is faster," he said, playing an exciting tune.

"Oh...okay," Sora said, thinking he was getting the hang of

this ocarina business. "Who's coming now?"

"No one;" Link answered, "we're going."

"Huh? How? Where?"

Sora's questions were answered abruptly. Link grabbed

Sora's hand, huge wings sprouting from his back, and, in a

flurry of feathers, they disappeared.

"AAAHH!!" Sora yelled in frustration. "Warn me before you

play another crazy song, will you?!"

"Alright," Link said with a quick nod.

"Where are we?"

"Ikana Canyon: Stone Tower Temple- LOOK OUT!"

"Wha-?"

Link shoved Sora out of the way suddenly, and both boys

fell to the floor. A shadow grew large where Sora had been

standing, and suddenly a giant hand hit the floor, scrambling

toward them.

Tangled in each other, they were hopeless to escape, and

they might have gotten badly hurt but then,

"BEGONE!"

A small, purple haired, red-eyed boy drove back the

creature with a quick blow from his large dagger.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he smiled at Link.

Link nodded.

"Hang on a minute," Sora said. "Are you Kafei?"

"I am, and you must be Sora."

"How did you know?" Sora wondered, taken back.

"I've had visions of your coming," Kafei explained, walking

deeper into the temple with Sora and Link close behind. "Sent to

me by princess Zelda of the other world herself. As there

was little time for you to search for the Keyhole yourselves

upon your arrival here, she asked me to commit a search

on the subject, as I am a well-known archeologist- or perhaps

the only one. But what interesting results! My studies here have

taught me that the Keyhole you seek lies somewhere within

Castletown. Can you imagine? The heart of the world, right

under people's noses all this time and no one's noticed it. It

must be quite well hidden. Well, I've no time to chat; I must finish

the rest of my studies before nightfall."

"Why before nightfall?" Sora asked.

"The darkness will approach at nightfall, threatening to

consume everything at midnight, exactly as it did once before."

Kafei picked up a lamp and began to read faint writing on the

walls of the temple. "It, too, seeks the Keyhole, but for it's own

foul purposes. And besides, I want to get home in time for

supper; Anju is a terrible cook, but she gets horribly upset if I'm

late for supper."

"Who's behind all of this?" Link asked, speaking more

words than usual in his interest. He had long ago learned that

there was a source behind all evil, and often it wasn't exactly as

it first appeared.

"I'll have to get back to you on that one, Link," Kafei said

absently. "But it's likely that you'll find out before I do anyway."

Sora and Link stayed beside Kafei, protecting him from

temple monsters while he continued his research well into the

night. They went outside now and then to escape from the dry

temple air, and noted nervously that there wasn't a single star or

even the moon out tonight, though Kafei told them it was

supposed to be clear.

"I've found it!" Kafei said at last, so that all three of them,

even Kafei himself, jumped in surprise. "Listen to this:

'Forged before the world began to grow and hidden by

early man, the gate to the heart now lies forgotten within the

center of the world, so that we look at it everyday but never

notice its quiet existence.' Oh," Kafei sighed. "That's all it says.

I hate guesswork. Ready to take a chance, boys? We know it's in

Clocktown somewhere, but what's something we look at

everyday?"

They were silent with thought.

"How much time do we have left?" Sora asked after a long

moment.

"Time!" Link said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Oh, right!" Kafei laughed. "Everyone looks at the _time_!

The Keyhole must be near the clock tower!"

"Alright!" Sora cheered.

"But that reminds me," Kafei gasped. "It's nearly midnight!

You two must hurry! Use the Ocarina!"

"What about you?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry about me!" Kafei laughed. "Just hope that

Anju didn't wait up for me. She's more dangerous then any beast

in here."

Link nodded in agreement.

"Well, okay," Sora said reluctantly. "Take care of yourself

then."

"You, too." Kafei nodded. They headed outside, and Link

raised the Ocarina once more, playing the same song as last

time. Sora willingly took Link's hand, and then they vanished,

leaving Kafei alone.

A three-tailed, yellow fox trotted over and sat by Kafei's

side.

"My my, we're in good hands, aren't we?" the fox asked.

"Yes, I believe so, Keeton," Kafei replied.

"Now, in case you've forgotten, there's someone waiting

for you," Keeton said with a smile.

"Who?" Kafei wondered. "Oh wait! Are you talking about

Anju? I'm late! She'll have my head! I'm so late!"

Kafei took off running to the sound of Keeton's merry

laughter.

(The Temple of Time)

"Do you have it?" Zelda asked anxiously as soon as they

arrived.

"Yup!" Sora said cheerfully, raising Link's arm to show her

the pulsating red gem in the boy's hand.

Zelda sighed with relief.

"That's great! Now quickly- open the gate to the heart of

Hyrule: the Door of Time!"

"Right!" Sora nodded. He drew his Keyblade, pointed it at

the stone wall behind the pedestal and gave it a twist. The Door

of Time was suddenly wrenched open, and Link ran in and put

the Heartstone inside.

He returned looking triumphant.

"Good!" Zelda cheered, clapping. "Now that the hearts of

Hyrule and Termina are combined, the two worlds will become

one!"

They climbed up the bell tower to take a look, and saw

Death Mountain and the Northern Mountain together in the

distance.

"But what about my island?" Sora asked worriedly.

"Don't worry," Zelda assured him.

"We'll save them all," Link agreed.

To be continued...

JM: Dude, Mikau's hot.

Sora: ...

JM: Please review.


	3. ChapterThree

Part Three

By Jive Maxwell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(Kingdom Hearts: Traverse Town)

The bright glow faded and Link and Sora appeared, just

inside the gates of a large, mid-sized town.

"I don't know where we are," Link said.

Sora looked around.

"Well I sure do!" he said happily. But I thought I'd never

see this place again!"

"Is this your home?"

"Sort of," Sora tried to explain. "I helped restore it, but

when the connections between worlds were destroyed, I didn't

think I would ever come here again."

Link stared suspiciously at Sora.

"Are you a hero?" he asked.

"Yup," Sora said proudly.

Link looked at him with newfound respect.

"Oh. All this time I thought you were an amateur."

"Gee...thanks," Sora grumbled. Link walked away to

explore.

"Yeeeaaaa!!!" he yelled suddenly, catching Sora's

attention.

A small, shadowy creature had crawled out of the ground,

and Link had struck at it. It sank back into the ground and

escaped.

"Heartless?!" Sora gasped.

"It's not so tough," Link sneered.

"I liked you better when you didn't talk!" Sora snapped, still

smarting from Link's last comment. "The Heartless feed off the

darkness in people's hearts. Weaker people-" Sora remembered

Riku and how the Heartless had nearly consumed him. How he,

Sora himself, had once become a Heartless.

"No." He corrected himself. "Desperate people submit to

them."

Link stared at him, hurt and angry, but curious.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Sora said, ashamed. "But you

must understand: in other ways, the Heartless are more powerful

than they look, and...they were supposed to be destroyed."

"Is this town in danger?" Link asked, forgiving Sora

sympathetically- mostly, anyway. Sora nodded.

"But there's one person I know who'd protect this town!"

he said suddenly, remembering. "He'll tell us what's going on!"

Sora headed for the Third District, noticing bitterly that

there was no one on the streets. The night sky setting seemed

darker than ever before.

As usual, the Heartless were drawn to him, and appeared

suddenly in groups that seemed bigger than ever, probably

because he and Link were hopelessly outnumbered. But then,

"HII! HAAAA!!" Link yelled and raised his hands before

going into a crouch. A burst of flame cleared the area of

Heartless.

"What was that?!" Sora choked.

"The power of Din," Link told him.

Sora didn't ask.

"This is Leon's house," Sora told Link, knocking on the

door.

Cloud Strife answered. He stared at Sora in shocked

silence for a long moment.

"Leon," he said finally, in his usual growl, closing the door

in Sora's face, "you get it; I think my eyes are failing me."

'That's sure to get Leon's attention,' Sora thought proudly.

Leon's real name was Squall Leonhart, but his world, like

Cloud's, had been destroyed completely by the Heartless and

was beyond repair, so he and Cloud and their friends now made

a living helping the people of Traverse town.

Leon opened the door.

"...S- Sora," he stammered.

"Yup! And this is Link!" Link gave a small wave.

Leon studied the two of them thoughtfully for a while.

"I don't know you're friend," he said finally. "But you've

grown a bit, Sora."

"You should see Riku," Sora bragged. "He's grown a whole

entire inch!"

Link was beginning to feel a bit left out.

"Come on in." Leon opened the door.

"How's your light?" Cloud asked slyly.

"You mean Kairi?" Sora laughed. "She's fine. What about

yours?"

"I found it," Cloud said happily, smiling. "How did you

come back?"

"More importantly," Leon added, "why?"

Thunder began to rumble outside.

Sora explained about the oncoming darkness and the

mission to bring together the Heartstones.

By the time he had finished, a storm had summoned itself

up and was waging war against the small house.

"So, unless this world becomes united with the others,"

Leon said thoughtfully, "it'll be destroyed?"

"Well, there are only two worlds united so far," Sora

admitted. "But there'll be more- you'll see."

"So all the worlds will finally be together again," Cloud

marveled. "Like they were long, long ago."

"Sora," Leon said quickly, as if he'd just gotten an idea.

"Perhaps it would be best if you left this world- left it

alone-"

"But the people-" Sora began to protest.

"The Heartless are still here, Sora," Leon snapped. "We

don't know why or even how; they should have been

destroyed along with Ansem, but, if you unite this world

with the others, Sora, you know as well as I do that the Heartless

_will _spread."

Leon sighed. "Sora, if this world is destroyed-"

"Than so are the last of the Heartless," Cloud finished for

him.

"I can't just leave you and the others here," Sora argued.

"You'd be overcome by darkness. It's coming even as we

speak."

"Maybe that's better than putting the united worlds at risk,"

Cloud murmured.

"No!" Link said firmly. He felt left out, as they all seemed to

know each other, but this was his decision, too.

Cloud and Leon stared at him.

"You're the heroes," Leon said coolly. "You decide."

Sora and Link exchanged determined glances.

"We'll unit this world," Sora sighed. "And we'll deal with

the Heartless later. We can't leave anyone behind, no matter

what the risk."

"You haven't changed a bit," Leon accused.

"Neither have you," Sora said with a scowl.

"If the darkness is gathering as quickly as you say," Cloud

interrupted, "Than you should get going. You know where to

go."

Outside, the storm had become much like a monster. Rain

fell heavily and without mercy; thunder boomed and

lightning cracked like a whip. Sora and Link left.

"I don't know about this," Leon sighed, leaning back in a

chair and putting his feet up.

Cloud smiled evilly.

"Look on the bright side: at least we won't be destroyed by

darkness."

Leon laughed bitterly. After seeing their own homes in

ruins, there didn't seem to be much left of themselves to

destroy.

"Follow me!" Sora called to Link over the loud growls and

groans of thunder. He led Link to the Second District, where the

fountain was.

"I had to lock away the heart of this world once before," he

explained. "I already know where the Keyhole is; what I'm really

worried about is the Heartless. What if uniting this world

hurts the others?"

"Princess Zelda will know what to do," Link boasted.

"I guess; well, let's get going."

They retrieved the Heartstone and returned to the Temple

of Time again by using the Song of Time on Link's Ocarina, not

seeing the shadowy figure that watched them eagerly from the

roof of the Gizmo Shop.

"That's right," it mused. "Fall right into my trap."

"Oh, you did it!" Zelda said happily, seeing the Heartstone.

"Were there any problems?"

"Yeah." Sora explained the situation about the Heartless.

"Well, as bad as they are," Zelda sighed, when he had

finished, "the unstoppable darkness is worse. We knew that

there would be complications, so, we'll deal with the Heartless

later; for now, we must continue. We're acting only hours ahead

of the evil for each world."

"Right!" Sora and Link agreed, putting the newest

Heartstone with the others.

But Sora had a nasty thought.

'The Heartless _are _an unstoppable evil,' he reminded

himself.

(Kingdom Hearts: Destiny Islands)

"Riku?" Kairi asked softly. "Do you think Sora is...alright?"

"Of course he is, Kairi," Riku chuckled, trying to sound

certain. "Sora can take care of himself."

"I-I don't know, Riku," Kairi mused worriedly. "I can't shake

the feeling that he's in over his head right now. I think he

needs help."

They were on the small island next to the Destiny Island. It

was so nearby that you could swim to it, but usually they used

the bridge. It was Riku's favorite place, and there was a special

tree growing there at an angle that was nice to sit on. He and

Kairi were there now, watching the sunset.

Riku looked at Kairi in concern. Her eyes were filled with

worry. He reached out hesitantly and took her hand.

"Don't worry, Kairi. Sora will find help if he needs it. But we

have to believe in him right now, okay? Whatever's going

on...he's not alone. And wherever he goes, we're right there with

him. We're in his heart, remember?"

Kairi's eyes widened. Then she smiled and nodded.

"You're right, Riku!" she agreed wholeheartedly. "Now let's

go!" She got up and began to walk away.

"Go...where?" Riku asked in confusion, following her.

Kairi stopped but didn't turn around.

"Sora said he was coming back for us, remember? We

have to be ready for him."

"Oh...right..." Riku sighed.

"Oh, and...Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Kairi turned suddenly and gave him a quick kiss

on the cheek. Then she turned and ran away, leaving Riku

blushing brightly.

To be continued...

JM: Bwa ha! It's Cloud and Squall! And we close off this chapter

with a bit of Riku and Kairi.

Cloud: This chapter's word.

Squall: Fer shizzle.

JM: Kairi's hot.

Sora: She says this just to be weird.

JM: Please review.


	4. Chapter Four

Part Four

By Jive Maxwell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(Princess Mononoke, the forest)

In a bright glow, Link and Sora appeared. Almost hesitantly,

there was another bright glow and their weapons landed beside them.

"Whoa!" Sora gulped. "Can't forget those!"

Link shook his head furiously.

"Who are you?" a deep voice commanded as they brushed

themselves off.

The two boys looked up. A girl was scowling down at them-way

down. She was on the back of a fierce-looking wolf the size of a big

bear.

"AaHH!" Sora fell backwards in surprise. He was quickly back

on his feet, and he tried to recover some dignity. "Well, who are you?"

he demanded. "Don't scare me like that!"

"These are my woods and I'll scare you anyway I want to in

them!" the girl snapped. "I won't repeat this again: _who are you_?"

"I'm Link," Link said boldly. "And this is Sora, but you can call

him whatever you want. I like your talking wolf."

"How do you know it talks?" Sora scowled. "Next you'll be telling

me the trees have feelings."

"Have you ever asked a tree how it felt?" the wolf growled, its

mouth moving slowly in a panting motion. "What a fool you are: all

living things have feelings."

Sora groaned and tuned away in misery.

"Talking wolves..."

He bumped noses with a handsome elk that happened to be

standing behind him. The elk bore a rider- a boy with messy,

shoulder-length blue/gray hair and deep black eyes.

"Don't mind San," the boy chuckled. "She doesn't take kindly to

strangers. My name is Ashitaka. Meet Yakul."

The elk licked Sora's face.

"Cut it out!" Sora laughed. "That tickles!"

Ashitaka smiled. "Will you tell us how you happen to be here?"

he asked. "Few people dare to pass through these woods. If you have

a reason, it must be a good one."

The girl San snorted disbelievingly.

(The Legend of Zelda, the Temple of Time)

Too many thoughts raced through his mind at once. He felt

worried and calm, ready to fight and yet so unprepared. He

remembered how the sky looked, bright with stars at first but then

they started going out. How could it have gotten so dark so quickly?

And he remembered a bright light, and the feeling of fading away...

And still in his mind was the image of 5 giant metal men, standing

together like stone statues even though they were so capable of

movement. And the girl, Releena, calling his name, and he could

hear her voice even though they were separated by miles and

miles...

"Open your eyes." It was a young girl's voice.

Heero Yuy complied, and all around him, his teammates were

opening their eyes as well, waking up to the sight of the inside of a

large stone temple, and a young girl with blond hair and blue eyes,

that were filled with concern, staring down at them.

"R-Releena?" Heero murmured.

"I'm sorry," the girl said gently. "My name is princess Zelda."

"Man, what happened?" one of Heero's teammates shook his

head in confusion. He had brown hair tied back into a waist-length

braid and violently purple eyes. This was Duo.

"Scratch that!" a honey blond with baby blue eyes exclaimed.

"Where are we? And how did we get here?" His name was Quatre.

"I'm not sure...how well you're going to take this," the girl Zelda

said hesitantly. "But allow me to explain. Your world has been

destroyed."

(Princess Mononoke: the wolves' cave)

"So," Ashitaka mused. "You're looking for the heart of the world.

And you swear your intentions are good?" They were in a small cave

on a cliff overlooking the forest below. They were given a good meal

and the cave was cozy-a fire was lit.

"Yes," Sora nodded. "Without our help, this world might be

destroyed."

"I don't believe it!" San snapped. "They're greedy, like the other

humans!"

"San is right," a giant wolf sneered-there were two. "These

humans are here to cut down the trees and hunt in our territory. See

how they lie and cheat! We should tear them apart!"

Link and Sora shivered and moved closer to Ashitaka.

"Haven't you learned anything, San?" Ashitaka said with a small

smile. "Not all humans are bad. Yakul trusts them."

"Well I do not." San sniffed.

"And you would sooner die than believe that maybe they can

help us?"

San turned away, unable to look Ashitaka in the eye, and

nodded.

Sora admired Ashitaka. He was so brave and bold and yet so

quiet that you couldn't help but trust him. He seemed like the kind

who could silence storms with a word. But San was different. If it

weren't for their appearances, Sora would have thought that San was

a lot more like a boy than Ashitaka was. She was fierce and

unfriendly, not unlike the wolves that were her friends.

Ashitaka stood up suddenly.

"I'm sorry San," he said. "I can no longer share your views of

humans. I am going to take these two to the heart of the forest. I must

do as my heart tells me."

"I'll stop you!" San snapped.

"Do as you please," Ashitaka sighed. "Come Sora. Link."

Ashitaka helped them down the narrow path to the ground, and

placed them on Yakul's back. He led them away purposefully.

"Ashitaka!" San called after them in frustration. Her wolves

roared.

Link noticed that Ashitaka almost stopped, but then he sighed

softly and continued to lead them away.

(The Legend of Zelda, the Temple of Time)

The idea that their planet had been destroyed and that they

were on a different world had finally sunk in. The Gundam pilots were

crushed. But Zelda had given them hope.

"There are people like you who have lost their worlds," she said,

"who have found ways to return their worlds to its original state: the

land, the towns-even the people."

"What Zelda is trying to say," said one of two guys under the

cover of shadow at the door, "is that you can accept your fate, or you

can try to alter it." The speaker had messy brown hair,

emotionless blue eyes and wore a black jacket and a series of many

belts. He gave the impression of being a lot like Heero Yuy-grim and

determined.

The other person spoke up.

"Its not to late to fight for your world, though first you may have

to fight for others. Do you think you might be able to?" He had long

blond spikes, an impressive array of armor and a large sword that

was wrapped in cloth.

"Allow me to introduce Cloud and Squall," Zelda offered. "Both

their worlds have been destroyed by creatures they call Heartless. Yet

they have been able to save those close to them, and they still

believe that there is hope for their worlds, and yours too. If you were

willing to stand and face your fate, these two would be glad to help

you."

"What can we do?" Heero asked.

"You really think we can make a difference, Heero?" a boy

named Trowa asked. His brown hair swept to one side and his vibrant

green eyes were filled with a calm, cool warmth.

"We have to try!" Wufei said. His black hair was tied back in a

short ponytail and he had dark black eyes. "It wouldn't be right to let

all our people suffer such a fate.

"I agree," Quatre said. "Besides, even if we didn't have anyone

to help us, we'd have to try, just because there wouldn't be any

reason to live without a world to live in."

"That's not entirely true," Cloud said. "You find reasons to keep

living."

"Well, whatever you guys decide to do is fine by me," Duo

Maxwell spoke up. "Personally, I don't like the idea of settling down

and leaving Earth defenseless."

"_What do we do_?" Heero repeated, catching everyone's

attention.

"You're pretty determined, huh?" Cloud asked quietly.

"There's someone I must protect," Heero admitted.

"Alright-listen up," Squall took charge of the situation. "You

know that the way to save these worlds is by use of a Keyhole,

usually situated in an out-of-the-way kind of place. However, some

Keyholes reside in people's hearts, and the only way to unlock those

hearts is by the use of a very special Keyblade..."

(Princess Mononoke, the forest outside of Iron Town)

Ashitaka lead Sora and Link through the forest, keeping them

company with his story of how he nearly became a demon.

"In the end," he told them, "it nearly killed me. But I refused to

succumb to the darkness, and I survived with only this scar on my

arm." Prince Ashitaka showed them the faint reddish marks on his

arm.

"I know how you feel," Sora agreed. He told Ashitaka and Link

about the dangerous Keyblade that unlocked people's hearts-how,

when he used it on himself to save his friend, he had become lost

and a Heartless.

"Don't you mean you became heartless?" Ashitaka smiled.

"No," Link put in. "Heartless are a type of creature where he

comes from. They're as common as rats. I know how you guys must

have felt; I got turned into a Deku scrub once."

"A what?" Ashitaka blinked.

"Let's not ask," Sora sighed.

"Ashitaka!" It was San. She appeared in front of them suddenly,

blocking their path from the back of one of her wolves. The other

strolled up behind them, growling warningly.

"San?" Ashitaka asked coolly.

"We're going to settle this right now, Ashitaka!" San called. "I

won't allow those humans to get anywhere near the heart of the

forest!"

"Don't make me fight you, San," Ashitaka said. San sneered.

"Fight me if you want; you won't win."

"San! What do we have to do to earn your trust?"

Sora jumped down from Yakul's back, stumbling but facing San

and her giant wolves proudly.

"We don't want to fight you," he called to her. "We don't mean

any harm! How can we prove that to you?"

"Defeat me, and I'll let you pass!"

"Fine!" Sora drew his Keyblade and, in an instant, Link was

there beside him with the Kokori sword, a slingshot, and some Deku

nuts. Ashitaka gasped and leapt onto Yakul's back.

"No! Sora! Please don't hurt her!" he cried.

"Stay out of this, Ashitaka!" San ordered. She urged her wolves

forward, forcing Sora and Link back-to-back and sending Yakul

prancing off to the side.

"Cover for me!" Sora hissed over his shoulder at Link. "I'm

going after her!" Link nodded and tossed a Deku nut at the ground.

The blinding flash that followed caused the charging lone wolf to

hesitate.

"Good idea!" Sora admitted. "STOP!" Magical powers caused

the wolf San was riding to freeze in time. "THUNDER!" Lightning

rained from the sky and struck nearby the animal.

"Move!" San yelled. With a snarl the wolf shook off the effect of

Sora's magic and continued his charge forward.

"Defense!" Sora cried, casting a shield of air over himself.

"Right!" Link agreed. "Nayru's Love!" A powerful shield of blue

energy protected Link from the viscous bite the lone wolf offered him.

"Got any more tricks?" Sora asked hopefully.

"Din's Power!" The same magic Link had used in Traverse

Town chased back the wolves in a dome of fire.

"Take this!" Sora yelled. He took careful aim and hurled his

Keyblade at San, knocking her from her wolf's back.

"San!" Ashitaka cried. Instantly San was back on her feet.

"I won't give up!" she snarled.

"Please, we won't harm your forest!" Sora pleaded.

"I don't believe you!" San drew a dagger and dove at Sora.

Suddenly an arrow landed in the ground between Sora and

San, fired from Ashitaka's bow.

"I said stay out of this!" San ordered.

"The forest begs you, San, stop this madness," Ashitaka

argued.

The angry light faded from San's eyes and she glanced over

her shoulder. Small, pale creatures were watching them. They

seemed like babies, with 3 deep black circles that looked vaguely like

eyes and a mouth. They chattered at the warring pair and put their

fingers to their mouths to silence them. They were everywhere, of

every shape and size. A few were sitting on the back of San's wolves,

and so many had decided to rest among Yakul's antlers that the

grand elk lowered his head tiredly.

"The Kodoma are upset," Ashitaka said pointedly. "They don't

want these two boys to die."

"Not that we would have died anyway," Sora grumped. Then, 3

of the strange Kodoma walked up to him, towered precariously on

each other's shoulders so that they could reach Sora's hand.

"Huh? Where are you taking me?" Sora asked. San watched in

disbelief as the Kodoma led Sora and Link deeper into the forest.

Yakul followed with Ashitaka, and then San's wolves.

"You...You're right," San realized. "We cannot fight here."

(The Heart of the Forest)

"It's beautiful," Sora sighed.

"Yeah," Link agreed.

"The...forest spirit lived here for a long time before he died,"

Ashitaka told them. "You should have seen him. He was such a

handsome creature."

"There's the spot you're looking for," San said reluctantly, as the

Kodoma pointed to a large old tree growing on the middle of an island

in a shallow pool. They waded to the spot and studied the tree.

"Here it is," Sora breathed, as the Keyhole began to respond to

the presence of the Keyblade and appear, a heart with the cross of a

key at the bottom of it.

He shot the others a wide smile over his shoulder and raised

his Keyblade to the tree. The Keyhole widened and unlocked.

"I got it!" Link exclaimed, rushing inside to get the Heartstone.

He emerged a moment later, holding the precious item.

"Now what?" Ashitaka asked.

"Now we disappear from this world and reappear at the Temple

of Time," Sora explained. "There we put the Heartstone with the

others and the worlds become united."

"Ashitaka, go with them," San instructed.

"San?" Ashitaka stared.

"You may trust them, but I don't. Go with them and make sure

nothing happens to our world. Besides, if they _are_ trustworthy, our

worlds will be united and you can return home."

"I don't see what harm it could do," Ashitaka mused.

"Yeah, come with us, Ashitaka," Sora cheered. "We sure could

use your help."

"You're really good with that bow and arrow," Link admitted.

"Alright," Ashitaka agreed. "What do I do?"

The bright light began to glow around Sora and Link suddenly,

and the two gasped and rushed forward, each of them taking one of

Ashitaka's hands. Then the 3 of them vanished.

"What do you think San?" one of the wolves asked. San

snorted.

"Well," she replied. "If Ashitaka doesn't come back to me, I'll kill

him."

"May we help?" asked the other wolf. San smiled and scratched

the head of the great wolf beneath her.

(Kingdom Hearts: the castle of Hollow Bastion)

Deep in the heart of Hollow Bastion, Squall and Cloud were

leading the team of Gundam pilots through the castle. Squall kept

Heartless away with his Gunblade, and Cloud swept the battlefield

clean with his huge sword, but the pilots could sense that Cloud and

Squall were tense.

"What's the matter?" Heero asked after they'd painstakingly

wiped the floor clean of Heartless another time.

"It's the Heartless," Squall said.

"They should have been destroyed, or at leashed banished,

locked inside the heart of all worlds, but-" Cloud added.

"They're more numerous than ever," Wufei realized.

"Yeah," Squall agreed. "And that's not a good sign. Hey, look,

guys...no, Cloud, you should tell them."

"Tell us what?" Trowa demanded.

"Why me?" Cloud growled. "Well, you see, there's a risk with

fighting the Heartless-or having anything to do with them. You could

become one of them."

"Eh?" Duo choked.

"It's happened," Squall said darkly. "Just warning you."

"Oh, great," Duo grumbled. "Now we're going to become

Heartless."

"Shut up," Heero ordered. "No one's going to become a

Heartless. We'll handle this like we've handled other things."

"Fight!" the others agreed.

"Hold that thought," Squall gulped. "Here's more!"

Heartless began rearing back out of the floor all around them.

There were hundreds.

"There's too many!" Cloud yelled.

"Looks like this is as far as we get," Squall sighed. But the

Heartless stopped. They held back, gesturing for someone to come to

them eagerly.

And he came. Quatre stepped away from the group and slowly

walked toward the Heartless, ignoring the others' protests. The blond

Arabian knelt down beside some of the small, twitching creatures and

put a hand on one's head.

"You were...human once, weren't you?"

The Heartless twitched, but none raised a hand to hurt Quatre.

"What's going on, Cloud?" Squall murmured.

"I...I don't know," Cloud admitted. "It looks like he's connecting

with the Heartless." Suddenly, Quatre vanished.

"Quatre!" his friends yelled. But all that their yells did was anger

the Heartless once more. They turned on the group, twitching madly.

And in the shadows of the room, something was rising...

"Oh...my...god!" Cloud gulped. "Any ideas, anyone?"

"No place to run," Duo commented.

"Or hide," Wufei agreed.

"And almost nothing to fight with," Trowa added. "Heero?"

"I can't lose now," Heero growled, closing his eyes. "I still have

to find her!" And something happened. A dark Keyblade appeared in

his hands. "I'll fight for her!"

A fire entered his soul, a fire he'd felt before. The soldier arose

in him, like watching light gleaming off cold hard steel.

"Get out of here," he ordered the others. He pointed the

Keyblade toward and exit, and the Heartless stepped back, out of the

presence of the Keyblade's tip.

"We can't leave you here!" Duo argued.

"What about Quatre?" Wufei demanded.

"What choice do we have?!" Squall snapped. "Let's go!"

They ran, leaving Heero surrounded by Heartless, and, as they

left the room, the Heartless surged forward, blocking Heero from

sight, an army of cold-blooded warriors and their leader, who's head

scraped the roof high above.

Outside, the others were frantic.

"What happened in there?!" Squall yelled. "We lost two men,

and the Heartless...they're thriving!"

Trowa was staring off into the sky.

"Quatre hasn't gone," he said softly. "I can feel it."

"You guys are pretty close," Wufei agreed. "Are you sure you

can sense him?"

"He is like a brother to me," Trowa admitted. "He felt drawn to

the Heartless, I can tell, because he pitied them. But he's still alive."

"What about Heero?" Duo demanded.

Trowa shrugged.

"Look out!" Cloud yelled suddenly. Dark energy swirled around

the castle of Hollow Bastion, growing thicker and thicker until...

They were thrown back from the force of the explosion, but they

landed on one of the elevators moving around the castle. It calmly

continued its journey, oblivious to its passengers.

It was a long moment before they moved again, stunned, and

temporarily blinded and deafened by the explosion.

Then they looked back. The castle had been reduced to rubble,

and black fire tasted its remains as smoke billowed from the wound.

The pilots looked away in horror.

"There's no way...he could have survived." Wufei gulped.

"Heero..." Duo sighed.

"Yes?"

Two familiar brown shoes stepped in front of Duo. The braided

boy looked up.

Heero was staring blankly down at him, panting furiously and

torn up and covered in ash, but alive.

"Heero! You made it!" Duo yelled happily. "I'm going to kill you!

What'd you think you think you were doing, huh?"

"You fool!" Wufei agreed. "You should have let us help you!"

Heero did the only thing that could have spared him from

trouble. He passed out, landing squarely in Duo's arms, the Keyblade

still clenched tightly in his hand. So tightly, they couldn't pull it out of

his grasp, and carried him with them with the blade in his arms.

(Basement of Hollow Bastion, untouched by explosion)

Quatre slept peacefully, not knowing he was being watched.

Hundreds of Heartless peered over each other's heads to get a good

look at the resting prince.

Two men, one in a hood and robes, the other with long hair

stood near the boy's bedside, watching him breath.

"They're connecting the worlds like you said," the longhaired

man seethed.

"Excellent." The man in the hood smiled.

"Is this what you were missing?" the other gestured toward

Quatre.

"Yes. I wasn't aware of his existence. The prince of heart."

"Is he really necessary?"

The hooded man turned to face the other.

"Sephiroth," he mused. "With this boy in my grasp, not only do I

_not_ need the princesses, but I _am_ the ruler of the Heartless."

Quatre stirred and rolled over with a sigh, and his head slipped

from the pillow. The Heartless moved restlessly and one scampered

onto the bed as the others watched. It carefully lifted Quatre's head, a

huge weight for something so small, and shoved the pillow beneath

Quatre's cheek with a foot. The Heartless sat back down, seeming to

sigh with relief, and the little one scampered down.

"I don't know, Ansem," Sephiroth said with a smirk. "But it looks

to me like they'd rather be ruled by him."

Ansem frowned darkly.

"I _will_ have this boy's power, Sephiroth. Where is Seymour? He

will want to know of the success in this mission."

"I am here," Seymour Guado said coolly. "And I've heard all that

you said."

"What's that you're holding?" Ansem asked. Seymour held a

strange old mask.

"This? I found it in the world called Termina. It is shrouded in

dark energy, so you can imagine that I was drawn to it."

Ansem snorted.

"Are the others here as well?"

Balconies lined the high roof of the basement. And, from the

balconies, people stared down at them.

Ansem smiled coldly.

"This time, fellows, they will not stand a chance." He grabbed

Quatre by the back of the collar and held him up for all the others to

see. Quatre woke with a start to see the Heartless hissing madly and

shadowy figures above him clapping.

"Wha?" he gasped.

"Just do as you're told, boy," Ansem hissed in his ear. "I'm in

control here."

Quatre closed his eyes tightly but could not stop the confused tear

that rolled down his face.

To be continued...

JM: Things are starting to look up. Ashitaka is with Sora and Link and

Quatre has been captured by Sephiroth.

Duo: I want my own trailer.

JM: You can have _whatever_ you want, baby.

Sephiroth: I'm so hot.

JM: Go away. Can't you see that Duo and I want to be alone?

Sephiroth: Touche.

JM: Please review.


	5. Chapter Five

Part Five

By Jive Maxwell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(Hollow Bastion, in the dungeon)

Quatre was imprisoned in the castle dungeon. He didn't

know why or even who his captors were, but he was pretty

miserable. There was no light in the dungeon save a torch at the

end of the hall, and he was scared and cold and worried about

his friends. It sounded like it was storming outside.

He curled up on the small bench he was given and hugged his

knees. Heartless coiled up out of the floor and crawled to him,

nudging him hopefully with the backs of their fists.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice failing him. "I can't help

you."

The Heartless twitched wildly for a moment and seemed to be

talking to each other. They seemed to agree on something and two of

them took Quatre's hands. They led him to the wall of the dungeon

and touched their hands to the wall.

"I don't understand," Quatre shrugged. Again they put their

hands to the wall. Quatre heard a loud creak and footsteps down the

hall.

Hesitantly, he raised his hands and put them to the wall.

Heartless raced up its stone surface like shadows and their hands

came out and grabbed his wrists. Quatre gasped.

They were dragging him _into_ the wall.

He pulled back a bit in wonder, but the footsteps were growing

louder and the Heartless were urging him forward. Quatre allowed

them to push him in the back of the knees and grip his wrists again.

He began to phase through the wall just as the cell door was

unlocked and burst open. Quatre heard a gasp and the next thing he

knew, strong arms had wrapped around his waist and were pulling

him backwards.

The Heartless strained themselves but they weren't as strong.

They let go suddenly and Quatre and his captor flew backwards,

Quatre landing in the man's lap. Immediately the blond boy tried to

race for the open door, but Sephiroth grabbed him and gripped

Quatre tightly, despite the boy's struggles.

"Ansem was right not to trust those bloody things," Sephiroth

growled, kicking one over. "Where did you think you were going, huh?

There's no way off this world unless you can teleport properly."

"The Heartless...aren't things!" Quatre growled, struggling still.

"They were once people! Let me GO!"

"Likely," Sephiroth grumbled. "Come quietly."

"You can't make me!"

"Oh yeah?" Sephiroth shoved Quatre forward and slammed his

head into the wall, knocking him out.

The Heartless snarled at him and gathered around Quatre.

"Get lost you blasted creatures," Sephiroth snapped, and the

Heartless vanished. Carrying Quatre over his shoulder, Sephiroth

went to report the matter to Ansem.

Back upstairs, Ansem was furious.

"What is it now?!" he snapped at Sephiroth, seeing him with

Quatre.

"What's your problem?" Sephiroth grumbled. "I caught him

trying to escape. The Heartless were helping him."

"As if I didn't have enough problems to deal with," Ansem

grumbled. "Look here: this guy wants out."

"Out?" Sephiroth repeated, studying the man Ansem spoke of.

"Yes. And you know how I hate traitors."

The 'traitor' had long white hair like Sephiroth's, and cool blue

eyes. He was tall and apparently in his early 20's.

"Traitor?" the man repeated. "I don't remember ever agreeing to

this plan in the first place."

"You tried to destroy your own world once!" Ansem sneered.

"We need people like you on our side!"

"I'm lucky I was stopped," the other said coolly. "I would have

regretted my mistake deeply had I not. What have you done to

Quatre?"

"You're familiar with this boy?"

"We've met. I know his friends won't be pleased to see what

you've done to him."

"Zechs, is it?" Ansem growled. "I brought you here to aid us in

our cause, not to worry about the pathetic feelings of your enemies."

"I've fought side by side with this guy," Zechs argued. "He's not

my enemy. And I won't allow you to hurt him. We're leaving."

"If you think that you can just walk out of here-" Ansem

snapped.

"I'll run if I have to!" Zechs snapped, ramming into Sephiroth. In

surprise, the Sephiroth let Quatre fall from his shoulder. Zechs

slipped his own shoulder beneath Quatre's belly and ran for the exit.

"You won't get far," Ansem laughed.

"You underestimate the Tall Geese and I!" Zechs called over

his shoulder. Ansem's eyes widened.

"Sephiroth, stop him!" Sephiroth raised a single black wing and

glided swiftly out the door.

The Tall Geese was waited patiently outside. Zechs laid Quatre

carefully on the floor of the cockpit and took his seat in time to face

Sephiroth exiting the castle ruins. From his place now,

Sephiroth appeared tiny.

"So you want to fight, huh?" Zechs yelled, bringing the suit to

life. A burst of fire was Sephiroth's reply.

"This is Gundainium alloy!" Zechs laughed. "You may as well try

digging to China as to try burning it!"

"What's China?!" Sephiroth demanded. "Sin Harves-"

He never got to finish that attack. The Tall Geese, under

Zechs' piloting, had reared back a powerful fist and punched the

him. Sephiroth caught himself in midair but was too late to stop the

Gundam prototype from escaping.

"Its fast," he murmured. The suit was already just a speck in the

sky. "At that speed, he'll be able to travel through space. Ansem won't

be pleased." Sephiroth shrugged. He really didn't care how Ansem

felt.

'I'm more powerful than that fool anyway,' he smirked.

(Xenosaga: the spaceship Woglinde, deep space)

On board the Woglinde, Shion Uzuki sat at her computer

pondering over tables and charts of recorded data.

Shion had light brown hair that was braided above her left ear,

aqua green eyes and glasses. She wore black skintight leggings, a

short skirt and long sleeves. She was a caring and kind young woman

and was also really smart.

On the table beside her, a Heartless lay, very nearly dead, if

Heartless can die. Allen came in, looking nervous. Allen was a geek

with brown hair and blue eyes, and a crush on Shion.

"Uh, Shion, working hard?"

Shion turned to him. "Huh? Oh, yes, Allen. I just can't figure out

this creature. It's so strange; it lives and breathes like we do, but it

doesn't have any vital statistics, and, what's more, it isn't made of

matter. At least not solid matter anyway. Isn't that strange?"

"Yeah," Allen agreed. "Uh...real strange." He blushed and

caught his breath.

'Ask her now!' he urged himself. 'Come on!' But no words came

out. Then the loudspeaker came on.

"Woglinde is under attack. Enemies have boarded the

Woglinde. Activating defense mode: Defcon 7. Please proceed to the

nearest safe area and remain hidden. Do not attempt to leave the

ship. Enemies gathered outside prevent all escape. Repeat..."

"The Woglinde is under attack?" Shion gasped. Then Shion

was called on the loudspeaker.

"Shion Uzuki: please proceed to lab 2 as quickly as possible.

Repeat..."

"How am I supposed to get to lab 2 if the Woglinde is under

attack?!" Shion cried in frustration.

Allen peered out the door cautiously. Heartless rushed by

outside, and he slammed it shut.

"Uh...Sh-Sh-Shi..." he stammered, pointing behind her.

"What _is_ it, Allen?" she scolded. "Spit it out!"

"Th...Thing..."

Shion turned and saw the Heartless on the table rising.

"Oh, honestly, Allen, it's just a little creature," Shion scolded.

The Heartless hopped off the table and tried gnawing on her boot.

She stomped on its long feet.

"Listen up you!" she roared at it. "You're going to take us to lab

2, got it? Now don't try anything funny!" She stomped on it again for

emphasis. The creature grabbed its injured limb and hopped around

for a moment. Then it went over to Shion and hugged her leg.

"That's better," Shion crooned. "Now take us to Lab 2."

The creature nodded and they started out.

Ansem and Sephiroth watched the ship blasting away at the

Heartless from a safe distance, but the Heartless kept multiplying.

"I've always wanted to see outer space," Ansem admitted. "Too

bad I have to see it when such a bloody battle is going on. I'll bet it's

much more beautiful when its peaceful."

"Ansem, are you getting sentimental?" Sephiroth chuckled. "In

any case, that fool Zechs will have no place to go. This ship will soon

be destroyed, and, once his Gundam runs out of fuel, he's a sitting

duck. Then it will be easy for the Heartless to track down Quatre

Winner and return him to us."

"I want him found alive, understood, Sephiroth?" Ansem

snapped. "Hurt one hair on the boy's head and I'll feed _you_ to the

Heartless." Ansem disappeared.

"Hurt one hair on the boy's head and I'll-" Sephiroth mocked.

"That cursed fool doesn't know who he's talking to! Oh well. He has

his uses. I'll just sit back and watch him do all the work for me."

Sephiroth laughed and disappeared.

(The Tall Geese)

Quatre woke in a glorious blaze of pain. He had a brick sized

bruise on his head and it was killing him. He saw someone in the seat

of the cockpit above him. Someone with long white hair...

"Zechs Marquise?" he said in surprise, climbing to his feet.

"You're up," Zechs stated, without glancing at Quatre.

"What happened? Where are we?"

"I saved you from Hollow Bastion," Zechs explained. "Now we're

in space. Looks like there's a battlefield up ahead."

"Are you going to get involved?"

"There's no other choice. The defending ship is outnumbered,

and the Tall Geese is low on fuel."

"Do you think they'll help us out if we lend them a hand?"

"Quatre," Zechs sighed. "You've done nothing but ask me

questions for a minute now. Why don't you come up with some

answers? I'm just as lost as you are. One day, I'm working as a

Preventer for the colonies, the next I'm involved in some kind

of...galactic war or something. I'm just trying to swallow this as it

comes, okay? Why don't you try that? Just go along with it."

"Right," Quatre agreed.

"So..."

"So lets prepare for battle!" Quatre finished.

(Lab 2)

"What?!" Shion raged.

"You heard us!" the ship's captain snapped. "Activate KOS-

MOS! Set her against these creatures! She could defeat them easily,

couldn't she?"

"KOS-MOS wasn't built for this kind of battle! She was created

to fight Gnosis!" Shion argued.

"Our lives our in danger!" the captain retorted. "Its do or die,

missy! It's about time you tested that prototype anyway! Now activate

that thing! That's an order!"

Shion shivered in anger.

"Better do as he says," Allen whispered to her. "We may not

stand a chance otherwise."

Shion growled and sat at a computer. She typed away at it for a

moment, then the case in the middle of the room opened, revealing

KOS-MOS.

KOS-MOS was a prototype weapon created to fight horrible and

mysterious creatures called Gnosis. She looked like a blue haired girl

with red eyes and a visor. She came to life and stood up to meet

Shion.

"Your orders, Shion?" KOS-MOS asked.

"KOS-MOS, I'm sorry to wake you, but we're having a bit of

trouble on board the ship. We need you to, um... destroy the

creatures called Heartless."

"Negative. Shion, I was not programmed to be able to fight such

creatures. You of all people should know that."

"I do know that, KOS-MOS," Shion replied. "But there really isn't

any choice. Please KOS-MOS."

KOS-MOS made no reply, but took out a gun and blasted the

Heartless that had led Shion and Allen to the lab. Allen squawked

and jumped back in surprise.

"KOS-MOS!" Shion gasped.

"I was merely following orders," KOS-MOS retorted. The

loudspeaker came on.

"Captain," a voice said. "There's a strange A.G.W.S. (mecha

used in Xenosaga used to fight Gnosis) approaching. The pilot calls

himself Zechs and says he has an injured passenger aboard. He is

willing to aid us in battle in exchange for some aid, but he claims his

ship is registered as Tall Geese and none of our records agree that

such a ship even exists. What's more, it's huge! You should see this,

sir."

"Alright," the captain agreed. "Send the nearest Realians to lab

2 immediately with orders to escort me to the bridge."

"Yes sir." The loud speaker flickered out and immediately two

Realians backed in through the door, shooting back some pretty

nasty Heartless. One was missing an arm, and the other seemed to

have some facial damage, but Realians are synthetic humans and

only feel simulation pain, so they could be repaired later.

Still, Shion felt sorry for the Realians. They bled just like real

humans, even if they were built only to battle. And it wasn't fair that

they weren't allowed to have as many rights and privileges as

humans. But it really couldn't be helped. If a Realian went out of

control, there was a detonation device equipped that would solve _that_

problem.

The Realians greeted the captain eagerly.

"Ah, shut up," the captain snapped, strolling outside. "There's

work to be done."

"Yes sir," the Realians agreed and followed after him.

"How rude," Shion scowled. KOS-MOS headed for the door.

"Huh? Where are you going, KOS-MOS?"

"Did you not give me orders to fight the Heartless, Shion?"

"Oh, right! Hang on, KOS-MOS! I'm coming with you."

"What?" Allen gasped. "Shion, have you lost your mind?" He

followed after them.

(Tall Geese)

"Permission granted to aid in battle."

"Excellent," Zechs admitted. "And my conditions?"

"Met."

"That's great," Quatre said. "Now we can lend a hand."

"Just don't be a backseat driver, Quatre," Zechs said over his

shoulder. "And another thing: sit down."

"Uh, sure." Quatre sat down as the Tall Geese accelerated.

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

The Tall Geese raced by some Heartless and, a moment later,

the things shuddered and went still. Breaking the sound barrier

several times, the Tall Geese cleared away sections of the battlefield.

"Look, they have mobile suits here, too!" Quatre said, pointing

to some smaller than usual mechanical dolls standing on the ship and

blasting at the Heartless.

"Quatre!" Zechs yelled. "Don't distract me!"

"Oops!"

"Too late," Zechs said grimly. "We're surrounded."

"It's not my fault!" Quatre protested. The Heartless were closing

in on them, and the Tall Geese couldn't accelerate. Zechs tried

gunning some down, but there were just too many.

"Activating F-Gshot. Please, if you have any shielding devices,

initiate them immediately."

"Huh?"

The call came from a young woman standing on the Woglinde.

She was aiming a big gun in their direction.

"How can she survive without a space suit?" Quatre breathed.

"Who cares? She's aiming at us!" Zechs flicked a few switches

and activated a weak shield around the Tall Geese.

"Your shield is not sufficiently powerful enough to withstand this

assault. Probability of damage: 98.8765. Extensiveness of damage:

54.766. I will commence firing anyway. Please stand by."

"What are our chances of survival?" Quatre wondered.

Zechs gritted his teeth.

"Forget it, girl," he retorted. "I'm using my Beam Cannon."

The red eyed girl watched coolly as Zechs raised the arm of the

Tall Geese and fired.

Heartless withered away in front of them, but the were still

outnumbered. Still, they could escape.

The Tall Geese let loose a burst of speed and got out of the

way, just as the girl let loose with her F-Gshot.

The Heartless were cleared away. But then...

"Oh god..." Zechs breathed. KOS-MOS turned her head and

started firing like mad, but it was no use. A Heartless bigger than the

Woglinde was making its way toward them.

"Statistics confirm that possibility of defeating such a creature is

.0986. I will leave you to hold off this Heartless while I aid the

civilians in boarding an escape vessel." The girl jumped and headed

toward a hatch down the back of the ship.

"Great," Zechs growled, warming up his beam cannon.

Shion wandered around the halls alone. She could hear

Heartless hissing and people screaming from a distance, but so far,

very little had approached her. Bodies lay on the ground, soulless

bodies that stared blankly at her without seeing. Some of them were

Realians.

Shion gasped, seeing a Realian in a state of suspended

animation lying over the body of an empty human. It looked like the

Realian had died protecting someone. She knelt and touched the

human's chest. Nothing.

"There's no heartbeat," she said sadly. Then she studied the

Realian.

"Hmm," she mused. "There's no damage. It should be

operational. What's stopping them?" A pool of black fluid oozed

around the Realian's chest. She touched it in wonder. It was cold, but

her hand passed right through it.

"It's just...shadow..." she breathed. She heard a hissing behind

her. She turned, and a Heartless was staring blankly into her eyes.

She gasped and backed up against the wall as it approached her.

"Shion?" It was Allen calling her. He was coming. "Shion, where

did you run off to? AHH, that woman!"

The Heartless reached out to touch her, and she closed her

eyes in fear.

Allen wouldn't make it in time, and he couldn't fight it anyway...

The Heartless chuckled in its hissy voice and touched her heart.

Its long hands went _through_ her chest and gripped her heart.

Shion went cold and shuddered all over. She felt like icy water

was coursing through her veins! Where was Allen? She couldn't hold

on much longer!

The Heartless was smiling, leering at her victoriously. Her vision

began to blur, then-

"Activating special ability, S-Sault. Please stand by." Shion

would know that computerized voice anywhere.

"K-KOS-MOS," she breathed. "Help me...I can't feel my

heart...beating...I can't feel...anything..."

The Heartless let her go suddenly and turned to face KOS-

MOS. Shion panted and lifted her hand to check her pulse. At first

she felt nothing, then-yes! -her heart gave a few rapid beats and

returned to normal, but, deep down, Shion still felt cold.

Allen rounded the corner just as KOS-MOS made a loud mess

with the Heartless. He squawked and jumped back. Then, seeing

Shion on the floor, he rushed to her.

"Are you okay?! What happened to these guys?"

"I'm...fine, really," Shion replied. "I don't know what

happened..."

"Shion," KOS-MOS said coolly, "we must get to an escape

vessel immediately. A particularly large Heartless is attempting to

destroy this ship."

"How big, KOS-MOS?"

"Visual reports confirm that the Heartless is 50.6754 bigger

than the Woglinde."

"What?!"

"Visual reports confirm that-"

"I know that, I just can't believe it!" Shion cried.

"We must go."

"Right!"

The three of them took off down the corridor.

Outside, Zechs' beam cannon wasn't taking effect.

"Dammit!" Zechs yelled, dodging a fist larger than the Tall

Geese itself. "This is impossible!"

"We have to stop it soon or it'll hurt someone!" Quatre cried.

"We're the only ones fighting this thing!"

"Didn't I tell you before not to be a back seat driver?" Zechs

growled.

Quatre leaned forward suddenly and began pushing buttons on

the control panel.

"Hey!" Zechs choked, forced to lean back uncomfortably. "It's

no use activating the visual communications system, Quatre! The

spaceship Woglinde isn't responding!"

"We're not contacting the ship," Quatre said grimly.

"What?! You can't be serious..."

"I am." Quatre flicked a final switch. "This is Quatre Winner.

Please discontinue your assault. We don't want any unnecessary

bloodshed. I repeat..."

"This is stupid," Zechs sighed. "Please, monster, be nice.

Right."

"It's stopped," Quatre sighed.

"Wha-?!" Zechs leaned forward in his seat and saw that Quatre

was telling the truth. The one giant Heartless had stopped. But behind

it, hundreds more were approaching.

"Damn," Zechs swore quietly. "There's no way we can make

contact with all of them at once."

"Let's just hope that girl and some of the others got away in

time."

Zechs nodded.

(On board the Durandal.)

The Durandal was a beautiful ship, shaped like a red arrow with

wings in the back in place of the feathers. It cut through space like a

knife, heading for the Elsa.

"Little master," a young woman reported. "The distress signal is

no longer reaching our communications system. All efforts to contact

the Elsa have failed miserably."

"That's not good," 'Little Master' mused. "It's possible they could

be destroyed already. Dammit!" Little Master was Gaignon Jr., a small

person with short red hair and an overcoat. He looked about 12 years

old, but his skill with weapons was surpassed only by skill as one of

the leaders of a group called Vector.

"How terrible," breathed another boy. He looked about 16 years

old, with silky with hair that nearly reached his shoulders that he kept

stuck behind his ears, but it stuck up in the back. He had shimmering

blue-green eyes and a melancholic smile-most of the time. Just then

he was sighing sadly. His name was chaos.

"Hey, cheer up, ya moron," chaos' captain spoke up. "You can't

feel sorry fer every poor sucker that gets in a spot of trouble these

days."

"And we may still be able to help," Jr. agreed. "You watch."

"You may be right," chaos said sadly. "I just wish...what's that?"

Everyone turned. A small black creature scampered across the

bridge.

"I dunno," the captain said in wonder.

"I've never seen anything like it before," Jr. admitted.

"Come here, little one," chaos called to it. The Heartless

shivered fearfully behind a desk for a moment. Then it rushed at

chaos, claws bared in an attack.

"Chaos, look out!"

The Heartless stopped in midair. Chaos took a slow, deep

breath, reached out, and touched it. The Heartless vanished.

Chaos stood up, his hands clasped and over his heart.

"It's okay," he told the others. "I can fight this creature the way I

can fight Gnosis. But..."

"Yeah?" the captain put his hand on the boy's shoulder and

gave him an impatient shake.

"I'm worried. Something tells me this is the same creature that

attacked the Elsa."

"So?" a guy named Tony demanded. "It didn't look dangerous to

me."

"But it is," chaos said quietly, moving closer to the captain for

support. "It has no heart, and what doesn't have a heart is _very_

dangerous."

(The Legend of Zelda, Temple of Time)

Back at the Temple of Time, Sora and the others had met with

the Gundam pilots. Sora was a bit edgy about letting Heero use the

dark Keyblade at first, but he soon got used to the idea.

"It's too bad you can't come with us on _our_ missions, Heero,"

Sora mused with a grin. "It'd be great working with you guys."

"It _is_ possible," Zelda told them. "If one of you Gundam pilots

agreed to go with Link and the others, that would make two teams of

four...Oh, I forgot...You're missing the other boy, Quatre, aren't you?"

She let it trail off.

"What happened to him?" Ashitaka asked.

"He...approached the Heartless...Then he disappeared," Trowa

told them. "I guess we're not sure, really."

"He did what?" Sora gasped. "Oh boy, that's not good!"

"He may have become a Heartless," Squall said dryly.

"Never!" Trowa argued. "Quatre would never lose his heart like

one of those creatures! He despises evil, and pities the weak. You

can't just lose a heart like that!"

"That's true," Sora said quietly.

"You guys, you must go soon," Zelda reminded them, and two

portals appeared. Sora walked up to Heero and placed something in

his hand.

"As long as you refuse to give up on your friend, there's still a

chance. Don't lose hope."

Heero nodded, and Sora went and joined his team through the

portal.

"What is that, Heero?" Duo wondered. "Lemme see!"

Heero opened his fist. There was a key chain there. It was a

dove with a sword held gingerly in its mouth.

"That reminds me of Quatre," Trowa said softly.

"I think Sora clips those onto his Keyblade," Zelda reported.

"Why don't you try that?"

"Alright." Heero placed it on the Keyblade's handle, and the

sword transformed. Its handle became shaped like curving feathers,

and the end became tipped with a sharp, curved wing pattern. "I see,"

Heero said softly. "This can be customized. Care to give this version

a name, Trowa?"

"How does...Angelblade sound?"

"Perfect. Let's go."

(Kingdom Hearts, Hollow Bastion)

"It's not going right," Sephiroth said coolly, staring into the sky.

"You said they weren't supposed to survive."

"They haven't," Ansem replied. "Now that we have them out into

the open, it's time for you and Seymour to act."

"What do you want us to do?" Seymour asked softly.

"Seymour, you will take some Heartless and lead an assault

against the spaceship Durandal and the escape vehicle. Sephiroth, I

will trust you to retrieve Quatre before Seymour strikes."

"And Zechs?" Sephiroth asked, turning to go.

"Do as you will."

Sephiroth smiled and disappeared.

"Are you sure he's the best one for that job?" Seymour asked.

"He'll likely get caught up in taking his revenge."

"That's why I sent him," Ansem admitted. "He's more powerful

than us at the moment, Seymour. We have to keep him satisfied or

he'll take measures into his own hands. Anyway, once I get the power

I desire, he will be as nothing to me."

Sephiroth, who had only teleported a short distance away to

overhear this exchange, smiled uncaringly.

"You're wrong, Ansem. That power will be _mine_."

To be continued...

JM: Was it too bold, including Xenosaga in this story? How many

people have even played Xenosaga?

Shion: I guess they'll just have to play the game. smiles

JM: On the plus side, I think this was a good chapter. It was quite

hectic, in fact. And let's face it people, we all know that Sephiroth is

way more powerful than Ansem is.

Ansem: I resent that.

Sephiroth: Please review.


	6. Chapter Six

Ultima Part Six

By Jive Maxwell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(Escape Vehicle)

The escape pod was carrying the Tall Geese on its back.

Refueled and with much of his ammo re supplied, Zechs was fairly

content. KOS-MOS was also riding the top of the escape pod. She

explained a few things to Zechs and Quatre, that she was an android

built for combating Heartless-like creatures called Gnosis, and that

the A.G.W.S.s were also built to battle Gnosis.

"So that's what those little mobile suits were for earlier!" Quatre

realized. "I wish I had my Gundam here. I could probably help you

fight them, if they really are so evil."

"Gundam?" KOS-MOS repeated.

"Like this Tall Geese," Quatre told her. "Only this is an earlier

model. The more advanced ones are a lot smaller."

"Hey, if you've got anything bad to say about Tall Geese, you

can say it to me, okay?" Zechs grumbled. Blushing, Quatre

scratched the back of his neck, a slight sheepish grin on his face.

"Please do not harm each other," KOS-MOS said.

"Huh?" Zechs wondered.

"Study of human facial and verbal expressions tells me that

there is a 78.565 chance that you are annoyed with Quatre. Is this

not correct?"

Zechs laughed. "Well, of course, but...I wouldn't hurt him. That

would take away the point of saving him."

"Did you rescue him?"

"From some people named Ansem, Seymour, and Sephiroth,

though there may be others. Have you heard of them?"

KOS-MOS stared blankly at him.

"People come and go, but I don't remember having met

anyone by those names in the past, nor have I heard anyone mention

them."

"Oh."

"Are you looking for me?"

"Sephiroth!" Zechs tensed. "Where are you, you bloody baka-"

"Here!" Sephiroth appeared _inside _the Tall Geese, right

behind Zechs, and grabbed Quatre by the wrist.

"Let go!" Quatre pleaded. Sephiroth knocked him out again

and disappeared as Zechs pulled out a gun.

"Too slow!" Sephiroth taunted, out in space. "And guess what,

Zechs: you can't attack me! I have Quatre!"

"And you can't stay long," Zechs reminded him, smirking.

"Oh yeah?"

Zechs nodded. "Quatre can't breath."

Sephiroth swore, but Zechs was right- Quatre wasn't breathing.

"That's alright, Zechs," he said coolly. "I'll be back for you." He

disappeared.

"Where are you going?" KOS-MOS asked, seeing Zechs

disconnecting the Tall Geese from the escape vehicle.

"I don't want to cause your passengers any trouble. When

Sephiroth returns, he'll be after me. You need to be out of here

before them."

"Affirmative." KOS-MOS agreed. "We will prepare to gate jump

immediately." She turned away, and then seemed to consider

something for a moment before turning back to Zechs again. "Thank

you for your help earlier. If in the case you survive this assault and

would like to meet up with us again, we will be heading for Miltia as

soon as possible."

"Thank you."

The escape pod accelerated and disappeared. Zechs warmed

up his beam cannon for a long moment. It reached its maximum

power level just as Sephiroth reappeared.

Zechs took close aim. "DIE, YOU BAKA!!!"

On board the Durandal, the crew was having a few minor

problems.

"Ah, guys, I think we know what attacked the Woglinde!" Tony

called, gesturing to one of the same oversized Heartless that had

attacked the Woglinde earlier.

"They're not taking us down!" Jr. exclaimed. "All units-"

"Hey," the captain scowled. "Why not let chaos handle this?"

"Are you sure?" chaos asked softly.

"Do you think you could handle it, chaos?" Jr. wondered.

"There's like, a few of them."

"I could try. But I have to touch them. They're all outside. My

powers are limited, you know."

"No need to worry about that!" Tony yelped. "Here it comes!"

One of the Heartless reached and grabbed the bridge of the ship by

the glass.

"This is your chance, chaos, ya moron!" the captain scowled.

Chaos shook his head.

"I still can't touch it: it's outside."

The Heartless solved the problem. It's hand came _through _the

window.

"Chaos!" Jr. cried.

"I got it!" chaos raced up to it and held up his hand to stop it.

Instead, the Heartless reached and grabbed chaos in its huge fist,

covering him from everyone else's view.

"NO!" People gasped in horror. But then, in a burst of feathers,

chaos reappeared, the wind knocked out of him but otherwise

unharmed, and the Heartless slowly dissolved.

"Is everyone alright?" chaos demanded.

"What is this?" Seymour wondered, from the back of a winged

Heartless. "A boy who can destroy the Heartless? I can't have this...

But Ansem may need this boy alive. Yes, he'll want to know about

this." Seymour glanced at a planet in the distance. "Alright. I'll send

him there." Seymour used a heck of a lot of black magic, and chaos

disappeared from the ship.

"Continue attacking the ship," Seymour instructed the

Heartless beneath him in a whisper. "I'm worn out."

(Kingdom Hearts, Destiny Island)

Riku and Kairi stood on the small cliff of their favorite little

island, connected to the main island by a short bridge.

"Kairi," Riku said after a moment of silence. "I'm beginning to

wonder...if Sora really is coming back. Aren't you?"

Kairi shook her head.

"I know he wouldn't forget about us, Riku, if we don't forget

about him." She gave Riku a reassuring smile.

"You're right," Riku chuckled softly. "It's just... I mean, can we

really trust him to take care of himself? He's immature and

irresponsible...What if he screws up and-"

Kairi laughed.

"Are you that worried about him, Riku?"

"...Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am." Riku blushed a bit. "I guess I'm

just a big worrywart, huh?"

Kairi shook her head with a giggle.

"I worry about him, too. But I know, wherever he is, he's not

alone! He's got us to back him up, and whatever new friends he can

make."

"Aren't you afraid he'll forget about us...someday?"

"Even if he does, if we're really his friends, we'll let him go. And

when he remembers us again, we'll welcome him right back. Like we

did with you. Do you remember, Riku?"

Riku looked away, his face hidden by his hair.

"Too... Too clearly."

"It's okay, Riku. Everyone knows it wasn't your fault."

Riku didn't reply.

"Hey, what? Who's that?" Kairi pointed at the water some

distance for sure. Riku looked. Someone was drifting, back up, in the

deep water.

"Whoever it is," Riku gasped, "they need help! Wait here!"

Riku jumped off the ledge and into the water. He swam to the

person in the water and turned them over. The boy immediately

began to gasp for air.

"Where am I?" he asked, to no one in particular.

"Don't worry about that right now," Riku told him. "Can you

swim?"

"...Yes."

"Good. Come on then. We'll help you." Riku smiled.

"And...who are you?"

"My name's Riku, and that girl over there is Kairi."

"Kairi, huh? She's pretty cute."

"Hands off!" Riku growled.

"Sorry! By the way, I'm chaos."

"Alright then chaos, let's go." Riku ducked beneath the waves.

Chaos slowly paddled after him.

Back on shore, Kairi was waiting for them.

"Hello," she said cheerfully to chaos. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," chaos replied.

"He's fine," Riku grumbled.

"What's wrong with you, Riku?" Kairi noticed instantly.

"Huh? I'm alright."

"Oh! Okay! Well, we should take um, what's your name?"

"Chaos."

"We should take you to my house, just in case. Why were you

just floating in the water like that?"

"I'm not sure. One minute, I was on board the Durandal, and

then these big black creatures attacked us, and I wake up here. I

don't know what happened."

"Big black creatures?" Riku gasped. "The Heartless?"

"I think you know what it is I speak of."

"No..." Riku backed away a step, staring hopelessly at the sky,

then at Kairi.

"It's alright, Riku," Kairi tried to comfort him. "Maybe it's some

other creature-"

"No. It's the Heartless," Riku retorted. "I can tell...Oh no! That

must be why Sora left! Kairi, the Heartless...are back..."

Riku backed against a tree and was downcast. Chaos looked

on worriedly.

"Riku..." Kairi sighed softly. She went to him and wrapped her

arms around him. "It's okay. I'll protect you this time."

(Hollow Bastion)

"He what?" Ansem asked dryly.

"He touched the Heartless, and it was destroyed," Seymour

repeated. "I don't know much more beyond that."

"And...what did you do to the boy?" Ansem asked

dangerously. "You already lost the battle against the Durandal,

sleeping on the job. What more bad news do you have to report?"

"I thought you might like to see the boy for yourself, so I sent

him to the nearest planet in the vicinity. I also rerouted the princess'

teleport magic to avoid that area for some time. I think it's a place

called: 'Destiny Island.' Does that please you?"

Ansem was silent for a moment. Then he laughed.

"Is something funny?" Seymour asked.

"...Yes and no, Seymour," Ansem replied after a moment.

"I don't get it."

"You wouldn't understand. Anyway, it looks like this is the

perfect opportunity to see an old friend of mine. Will you take care of

showing our newest member around? And don't worry, Sephiroth is

tending to Zechs, and we have already retrieved Quatre, so it really

doesn't matter that you lost your battle with the Durandal. Your

findings are much more important."

Seymour nodded. Ansem disappeared, and Seymour went to

meet someone- someone with white hair, dark skin, and purple eyes.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Seymour apologized with a

smile. "We blew this place up a while ago. What did you say your

name was?"

"I'm Marik."

(Yu-Gi-OH!, Yugi's room)

A little guy named Yugi lay on his bed, hopelessly lost and

confused in the mysteries of ...a math textbook.

"What does 'm' stand for again, Yami?" he asked, though the

room was empty.

"I think it's slope," Yami reminded him gently, with a sigh.

Yugi sat up.

"I'm sorry, Yami. I know you're bored, but I have to get this

homework done or-"

"Not at all, Yugi," Yami said cheerfully. "I understand that your

schoolwork is very important to you."

"Not...really..." Yugi twitched at the thought.

"Huh? Why not?"

"I only do it because grandpa gives me money for high marks."

Yami laughed.

Then the room began to glow. Yugi raised an arm to shield his

eyes from the light. When it faded, he looked up. Sora, Link, and

Ashitaka stood before him, all staring at him blankly and wielding

swords.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Yugi yelled.

A while later, Yugi had regained consciousness and calmed

down (with some help from Yami.)

"I'm really sorry, Yugi," Sora admitted, sitting on Yugi's bed.

"It's hard to predict where we'll come out when we teleport like that."

"We didn't mean to scare you," Ashitaka agreed. "I guess our

swords must be pretty intimidating."

"That's alright," Yugi said kindly. "I was bored anyhow. What

are you doing here, might I ask?"

They explained the situation to him briefly.

"Sounds serious!" Yugi admitted. "I wish I could help!"

"Well," Link mused. "It would help if you knew the location of

the Keyhole. Ever heard of it?"

"No, not ever."

"I have Yugi," Yami said, from inside the puzzle.

"Where'd that voice come from?" Link wondered.

"What voice?" Sora asked. "Are you hearing things, Link?"

Sora pulled on Link's ears experimentally. Link shook his head,

annoyed.

"Can you hear it, too?" Yugi said in surprise. "That's the spirit of

my Millennium Puzzle. Usually I'm the only one who can hear him."

"Millennium Puzzle?" Sora repeated. "That thing around your

neck?" He stared at the golden, pyramid shaped box that dangled

from a strong chain around Yugi's neck. The Keyblade quivered.

"I sense a strong magic about it," Ashitaka said. "He must be a

powerful spirit."

"He is," Yugi said proudly. "He once helped me beat

Maximillion Pegasus, the evil creator of duel monsters."

"He has the Keyhole inside him."

Everyone turned and looked at Sora. He was pointing the

Keyblade at Yugi, but struggling to hold it down. Yugi made a

frightened face.

"It's alright, Yugi," Yami reassured him. "He's right; the Keyhole

he seeks is in this puzzle."

"Please," Sora growled, "make whatever decision you have to.

I can't hold it back much longer!"

Yugi transformed into Yami Yugi. "I won't fight you," he said

quickly. "But listen to me: you must unlock the Keyhole from the

inside. You have to wear the puzzle."

Sora's eyes widened, but then he nodded. Yami took the

puzzle off and slipped over Sora's neck. When he let go, he turned

back into little Yugi.

Sora passed out.

(In Yami's mind)

"What a strange place," Sora mused. "It looks like a three

dimensional maze."

"Are you alright Sora?" Yami was standing over him.

"I guess so."

"Do you know what you have to do?"

Sora nodded. "Where is it?" Yami pointed to a door.

"Alright!" Sora let loose with the Keyblade and unlocked the

door. There was a Heartstone in there, and the image of Yugi.

"He's always right there with you, huh?" Sora asked, returning

with a Heartstone. Yami nodded.

"He's my best friend."

"I have friends like that, too," Sora admitted.

"I'd like to meet them someday," Yami said with a smile.

"Maybe you can," Sora replied.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you and Yugi come with us? We were looking for a

new partner. You can help us find Keyholes and fight Heartless, and

find out what the evil force is behind all this-"

"But Yugi's schoolwork-"

"This is kind of important," Sora reminded him. Yami smiled.

"You're right. Besides, I know Yugi hates his schoolwork

anyway."

Sora grinned.

"At least let us leave a note for Yugi's grandpa and friends."

"Sure." Sora returned to the 'real' world. "We've got a new

partner," he said pleasantly.

"And I don't have to do my math homework!" Yugi said

cheerfully. "Ah, Sora?"

Everyone stared in amazement at Sora.

"What? Do I like tired? My head feels so heavy..."

"Um, Sora..." Link started laughing hysterically.

"Perhaps you should look in the mirror," Ashitaka suggested.

Sora looked.

"AAAHHH!!! I HAVE YU-GI-OH! HAIR!"

"This sucks," Yugi complained. "I have to work for hours to get

it that way and now you go and copy it!"

Yugi's 'Letter':

Dear Grandpa,

I will be back as soon as I help some friends of mine save the

universe. Sorry to miss supper; I'll do my chores when I get back.

Sincerely, Yugi

P.S. There is a month old sandwich under my bed. If you smell

anything unpleasant, that's probably the reason why.

(Kingdom Hearts, Destiny Island)

Riku was having another nightmare. He'd had them a lot since

he left home last year. He tossed and turned for a long moment

before waking up in a cold sweat, Ansem's voice still ringing in his

memory. Chaos was asleep on the floor, but he woke when he heard

Riku leave.

The night was cold but the light of the moon made everything

as clear as day. Riku appreciated the cool breeze; it reminded him

that he wasn't in a dream anymore. He walked along the side of the

narrow river for a few minutes before settling on a rock to stare into

the river's familiar depths. Riku had come here many times in the

night for months now. It was quiet and peaceful as usual, and his

reflection stared unhappily back at him.

"What am I supposed to do?" he sighed, sitting back and

putting his feet into the river. "Everyone else thinks that everything

has returned to normal, but I can't...I can't keep pretending. I

became a monster, and I'm not as forgiving as they are. I hate

myself." A lone tear slid down his face and fell into the river.

Suddenly, a fish leapt out of it and landed on the shore. There was

something in its mouth. Riku took it, and the fish heaved itself back

into the water. Riku stared after it in surprise, then down at the object

in his hand. It was a pretty stone. Riku held it up to the light, and it

seemed to glow.

"Thanks, I think," Riku said to no one he could think of.

"Who are you talking to?" It was chaos, strolling up behind him.

Riku turned with a start.

"Myself, I suppose," he said dryly. "Pretty crazy, huh?"

"Not at all," chaos said with a smile and shake of his head. "I

think it helps sometimes."

"Yeah, well it's not helping," Riku growled.

"Perhaps you're saying the wrong thing?"

"What do you know anyway?" Riku snapped. "You don't

understand anything about me!" Chaos just stared at him, with a

small smile still on his face.

"I'm sorry, chaos," Riku said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to

sound so angry. It's just that..."

"Yes, Riku?"

"Everyone seems to know more about me than I know about

myself. They all trust me and believe in me; my friends are the

greatest, chaos, and I don't deserve them."

"Maybe you're being too hard on yourself?" chaos suggested

softly.

"What do you mean? Do you know something about me that I

should know?" Riku's voice was bitter.

"Not much," chaos chuckled, shaking his head. "But I do know

that understanding oneself begins with acceptance and forgiveness.

You will never know who you really are or who you can be unless

you're first ready to accept what you may find."

"What do you think I should do?" Riku asked in confusion.

"I can't decide that, Riku," chaos smiled.

"Forgiveness, huh? I've heard the word before, but it didn't

mean much to me then. It may be all I have left now. Hmm..." Riku

stared off into the distance for a moment. Then he pocketed the

stone in his hand and walked away. "Coming, chaos?"

"Where are you going, Riku?" chaos followed after him.

"I just saw someone standing on the small island out there. I'm

going to go see who it is."

Chaos stopped and looked at the island. He could see a lone

person out there, their back turned to the boys. Then he hurried after

Riku, the river bubbling up behind him.

(The Island)

Riku stopped running just several meters behind the lone

figure and came to a complete stop. He was hoping to find Kairi, but

this wasn't her. Who could it be? Yet there was the feeling that he

had known this person very well once. Riku looked hard at the man's

back.

Long white hair, black robes and dark boots...

"Ansem!" Riku gasped it so quietly that he wasn't sure if he had

said it at all, but Ansem seemed to hear and turned, his cold bright

eyes staring into Riku's cool blue ones with a look that was beyond

mere recognition. It was a look of understanding that they shared, for

they did more than just knowing each other. Once, they had been the

same person, sharing in one body, their minds one. To Riku, it was

facing a part of himself that he thought destroyed, and had been

trying to forget.

"I- I'm dreaming..." Riku fell to his knees and shut his eyes

tightly.

"Then so am I," Ansem smirked. "We shared the same

thoughts and dreams for a long time before, Riku; I still feel as

though you are a part of me. Do you feel it too?"

A frightened tear threatened to roll down Riku's face, but he

stood up solemnly, his eyes hidden by his hair.

"...Yes..." he admitted. "IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I

CAN'T FORGIVE MYSELF!" The gleam in his eye voiced his pain.

Ansem laughed. "You fool, do you really think forgiving yourself

will erase what you've done? Even if your friends could forget, you

cannot, can you?"

Riku lowered his head in shame.

"I suppose it's futile though, trying to make you see the sense

in rejoining me, so I won't try." Ansem smiled understandingly.

"Are you going to kill me?" Riku asked.

"Why would I do that?"

"Why wouldn't you? I'd be better off dead anyway, after what

I've done, wouldn't I?"

"If I'd known you feel that badly about it, I might have."

"Then why don't you do it now?"

Ansem stared off into the distance.

"Because, Riku, we are still connected. You are, I must admit,

almost like a son to me."

"I could never accept that!" Riku snapped. "I'm not a part of

you anymore!"

Ansem's lips didn't move. His voice was in Riku's head as

clear as any of Riku's thoughts.

'Don't be so sure. Our minds are still connected.'

Riku ignored that and tightened his fists so that he was

frighteningly tense.

"Why are you here? Have you come for Kairi?" His voice

cracked.

"No, I'm here for the boy called chaos. I've no use for _Kairi_

anymore."

"What are you planning, Ansem?" Riku growled dangerously.

"You may find out when it's too late."

Riku glanced over his shoulder. Where was chaos? He sighed

in frustration. He could protect Kairi until he died, but chaos was the

one in danger now, and Riku had been the one to lead him here.

'_When will I stop screwing up?_' he thought sadly. _'I'm always _

_the one to lead my friends into danger. Now this, and there's _

_nothing I can do...unless...!'_ Riku grew quiet and thoughtful.

(Beneath the bridge, a minute earlier)

Chaos had been following Riku's footprints, having lost sight of

him in the dark, when he bumped into Kairi.

"Kairi, what are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

"I saw Riku from my house," Kairi admitted. "And I was coming

to see if there was something wrong."

"No, Riku is fine," chaos told her.

"Then why are you out here?"

"I was talking to him only a moment ago. We thought we saw

someone on the island, and were coming to check it out. I thought it

was you, but now I'm not sure. Do you know anyone else who would

be out this late?"

Kairi shook her head.

"Then," chaos mused. "Maybe it would be best if you stayed

here."

"Why, chaos? Do you think someone dangerous is there?"

Kairi smiled jokingly.

"I'm sure of it," chaos replied softly, and Kairi jumped. "Who

could it be?"

"I don't know." Chaos walked away.

"Wait! Chaos, why are you going?"

"I must," chaos told her. "It seems like destiny to me that I

should come to this island, and that I should leave it. Kairi, please-"

chaos turned and took her hand in both of his. "No matter what

happens, you must first think only of protecting yourself, but also,

don't lose hope. Never lose hope. It is your greatest attribute."

Kairi was silent in surprise, flushed.

"You're...leaving?"

Chaos nodded.

"And...Riku?"

"Whatever he does, Kairi, he does to protect you. Remember

that." Chaos turned to go.

"Wait!" Kairi pleaded. Chaos hesitated, a slight smile on his

face. "Tell Riku not to forget...that his friends are always there for

him, no matter what, okay?"

"Riku will appreciate that," chaos smiled.

"And chaos?"

"Yes Kairi?"

"We're there for you, too."

"Thank you, Kairi," chaos admitted, walking away. Then he

called over his shoulder as he broke into a run: "and don't worry-

Sora's friends will come to save you soon."

"Wait! How did you know about Sora?!" Kairi cried. Then she

sighed. She supposed Riku must have told him.

(The Island)

"Are you sure?" Ansem smirked. "You know, I can't promise I

won't be any better than last time."

Riku nodded.

"There's nothing for me here," he said calmly. "It's no use

trying to pretend that I can change, so I might as well."

"There will have to be restrictions at first, of course," Ansem

retorted. "I still think you're just trying to trick me, Riku."

"If I was trying to trick you, I wouldn't have brought the boy

chaos to you," Riku said coolly, pointing to the bridge, where they

could see chaos coming.

"That was an accident on your part!" Ansem snapped. "You

couldn't possibly have known I was coming!"

"You say our minds are connected," Riku snorted. "And yet you

doubt the fact that perhaps I know as much about you as you do I. Is

it embarrassment that makes you so doubtful, Ansem? Maybe you

just don't want to believe that I can see your thoughts."

Ansem ignored Riku and turned his attention instead to chaos,

who approached fearlessly.

"I've been waiting for you, boy," Ansem sneered with a grin.

Chaos sighed and closed his eyes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said softly. "May I ask your

name?"

"I am Ansem, and you are coming with me."

"I see. And Riku?"

Riku stiffened.

"Riku is on my side as well."

"I understand, but before I agree to go with you, I must say

something. Riku: Kairi wants you to know that she believes in you,

and that she'll wait for you, no matter what happens."

Riku sighed.

"What's this?" Ansem growled. "You still have an attachment to

that girl, Kairi?"

"You didn't think I'd give up Kairi now, did you?" Riku sneered

in a way he hadn't in a long time. "Come, Ansem, you know me

better than that. Yes, when I get the power I desire, Kairi will be by

my side."

Ansem snorted and looked away, and Riku relaxed.

"Come quietly, chaos," Ansem ordered, "or there will be

trouble." Chaos slowly made his way over to Ansem, and allowed

Ansem to put his hand on his shoulder.

"That's good," Ansem mused. "You're a smart boy."

Ansem didn't see the fierce glow in chaos' eyes, but he heard

the defiance in his voice.

"I don't mind giving in when I have to, but I promise you, when

the Day of Judgment comes, you'll pay twice over for your crimes."

"I'll have none of that!" Ansem snarled, gripping chaos' collar

and giving him a shake. "You won't speak unless you're told to from

now on, got it?" Chaos sighed and said nothing.

"Good. Come, Riku." Ansem summoned a black portal and

walked into it. Gritting his teeth, Riku followed.

Kairi watched them leave from the shore.

"See ya, you guys!" she called even though she knew they couldn't

hear her. "I'll be waiting, I promise!" She waved furiously until the

portal had disappeared.

To be continued...

JM: Well, that's quite the rivalry Zechs and Sephiroth have going on

there. I wonder why few people choose Zechs as their favorite

Gundam Wing character. Isn't he as cool as the others?

Duo: Jive told me her favorite Gundam Wing character is me.

JM: Needless to say, please review.


	7. Chapter Seven

Ultima Part Seven

By Jive Maxwell

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(The Legend of Zelda, The Temple of Time)

Sora and the others had returned to the Temple of Time,

triumphantly showing off the new Heartstone and their newfound

friend, Yugi Motou. Yugi and princess Zelda really hit it off.

"My, Yugi, what an amazing hair style: did you do it yourself?"

Zelda asked. Yugi admitted that he had and the two were friends right

away.

"How'd the others do?" Sora asked, sitting back on the pedestal

and staring at them in the corner.

"Actually," Zelda admitted, "they haven't left yet."

"Why not?" Link demanded.

"The teleport magic isn't working," Zelda explained. "Whenever

I try to send them to the next world, they end up back here again."

"But that's powerful magic," Ashitaka said in his quiet voice.

"There are really only two possibilities: either your magic isn't strong

enough to support them all, or it's been overruled."

"It must be that I'm just not strong enough to support you all,"

Zelda said sadly.

"That's not true!" Link yelled. "You have enough magic to

support all of us and more, and you know it! You're just being

modest!" he accused.

"If your magic was being overruled," Trowa put in. "Who do you

think would do such a thing? They would have to have the reason and

the power to do so."

"I don't know," Zelda sighed.

"I could name a few people," Yugi growled.

"Who?" Everyone peered down at little Yugi, who was no taller

than Link.

"Marik," Yugi spat the name out. "And Pegasus, too, but he's

been missing in action ever since I beat him back in Duelist Kingdom.

But I've learned lately, that, if there's trouble, Marik usually has a

hand- or a Millennium Item- in it."

"What's a Millennium Item?" Duo wondered. "Is it this funny box

thingy?" He reached down and poked at the Millennium Puzzle

curiously.

"Don't touch that!" Yugi scowled. "That's a very powerful magic

item!"

"And it's very special to Yugi," Sora agreed. "A friend of his lives

there."

"Man," Duo grumbled. "I go from saving the world to the

colonies and now the galaxy or the universe, and now people live in

funny yellow boxes and get stuck 'teleporting' from one world to

another. I'm in over my head here. Yup! My mother always told me I'd

lose my mind if I joined the army."

"You think too much," Wufei told him.

"Better than not thinking at all!" Duo retorted.

"WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, HUH?!" Wufei spat,

drawing his sword.

"Boys! Boys!" Zelda cried as the two of them went at it.

"Leave them be," Heero said gently, his arms crossed as he

leaned leisurely against a cold stone wall. "It's how they handle

stress. I've seen it before."

Cloud and Squall came in.

"Princess," Cloud said with a quick bow. "We think we have an

idea- Sora, Link, Ashitaka, good to see you back."

"Who's this?" Squall asked, staring hard at Yugi's hair.

Zelda introduced them, and Cloud explained their plan.

In order to determine the cause of the disturbance in the

teleport magic, the pair wanted her to try teleporting someplace else.

If she could do that, chances were that an overruling of her magic

caused the problem.

"Traveling between worlds is tricky," Squall explained. "Unless

you can teleport, it can be time-consuming, not to mention pricey.

Let's give this a try and see what happens."

"Alright," Zelda agreed. "Any volunteers?" Trowa decided to go.

"We'll just try to teleport you outside the temple," Zelda told him. "If

this goes wrong, I'll never forgive myself."

"Please don't be that way," Trowa said, as she opened a portal.

He stepped through it and vanished. Everyone tensed, waiting.

A moment later, Trowa walked in through the door. "It works,"

he said simply.

"What's it like?" Duo asked, sporting a black eye from Wufei.

"Like falling asleep and waking up in a different place, not

knowing how you got there," Trowa described. "At least now we know

what the problem is."

"If we can combine all our strength," Ashitaka said, "we may be

able to overpower the source of the problem. Who or whatever is

keeping you from teleporting to where you want to go will be

overruled themselves."

"But we need something or someone to channel it to," Zelda

agreed.

"Ah...Guys, you've lost me," Sora said blankly.

Ashitaka knelt and put his hands on Sora's shoulders.

"We're all going to focus our energy into one point. Together,

we should be strong enough to beat this. Okay?"

Sora thought about that for a moment. "Okay," he admitted. "But

what are we going to channel that energy into?"

"I know!" Yugi spoke up. "How about my Millennium Puzzle? It

can channel a lot of magic and besides, Yami's at his strongest there.

If he channels his energy, we'll have lots!"

"Yami's the guy in the box, right?" Duo asked.

"Is everybody ready?" Zelda asked. The group nodded. "Focus

on the Millennium Puzzle while thinking of what gives you strength.

Let's do this!"

Everyone thought of his or her closest friends.

'Kairi and Riku probably miss me a lot,' Sora thought. 'I hope

they're alright.'

'Where ever Quatre is, I hope he's okay.'

'Yami...and Joey and Tea...and Tristen. They'll probably miss

me a lot. I'll miss them, too, but I'll see them again soon, I know it!'

Ashitaka thought of San and the wolves, while Zelda and Link

thought of each other. The final power boost came from Yami.

'After all those centuries that I was asleep in the Millennium

Puzzle, it was you who saved me, Yugi.'

The teleportation portal opened, and the Gundam pilots went

through it. Then the portal vanished.

"Whew!" Zelda breathed. "It worked!"

(Hollow Bastion)

Hollow Bastion's name suited it. Once, it gave Riku a warm

feeling, now it was hollow, full only of creeping Heartless and bad

memories. What's more, it was completely demolished. Where once

a beautiful castle stood was now only a dump of rubble and ash.

"What happened?" Riku asked in surprise, looking around.

"We redecorated."

Riku turned. A tall man in robes similar to Ansem's, even longer

hair and bangs that were parted in the middle stared back at him with

eyes not unlike Riku's own.

"Who are you?!" Riku snarled, unwilling to trust any friends of

Ansem's.

"This is Sephiroth," Ansem said calmly. "Sephiroth, this is Riku.

You could call him an old friend of mine."

"You make friends with little boys now, Ansem?" Sephiroth

hissed. "Who's this other one?"

"This is chaos." Ansem shoved chaos over to Sephiroth for his

examination. "He's highly unusual. He has the power to destroy

Heartless with a touch."

"That could endanger the mission," Sephiroth growled.

"I know. That's why I brought him here for examination. How's

Zechs doing?"

"I don't know," Sephiroth said coldly, staring off into the sky.

"Just as I was about to finish him off, this damn red ship came along

and grabbed him. You said there were no ships in the area! Anyway,

the last time I checked, he was damn near dead anyway."

"It wasn't your fault, Sephiroth. We were certain there had been

no large ships in the area before you attacked. How's Marik?"

"You'll have to see for yourself," Sephiroth said with a smirk.

"He's amazing. He has the Heartless doing back flips."

"He can control them?" Ansem said in surprise.

Sephiroth shook his head. "But he can control Quatre. That

blond brat doesn't know who he is under Marik's control."

"Most interesting," Ansem mused. "Seymour?"

Seymour had strolled up behind Ansem.

"The Keyblade masters have made it to the newest world. It

would seem their powers are stronger than we imagined. Is that

alright with you?"

"Yes, that's fine," Ansem frowned, seeing Riku stiffen. "I have

finished with my business there. Take this boy chaos to the dungeon."

"And the other one?" Seymour shot a cool stare at Riku.

"Keep a close eye on him, but leave him alone. Inform him of

our plans, but do not yet let him leave this world. I must go see this

'Marik'. In the meantime, you can relax a bit. The Keyblade masters

have yet to retrieve the Heartstones, so there is plenty of time to

involve ourselves in our own affairs."

Ansem walked away, and Seymour, in his usual slow yet

somehow forceful way, took chaos by the wrist and led him away.

Chaos gasped and hesitated, but then followed Seymour down into

the sub basement, where the dungeon was.

Sephiroth drew his sword.

"Care for a match?" he challenged Riku. Riku looked down at

his hands. He had no sword.

"No weapon, huh?" Sephiroth smirked. "That's hardly any fun.

"Come on, kid, let's get you suited up." Riku strolled after Sephiroth.

(In the dungeon)

Chaos wasn't frightened, despite his position. He wasn't the

type to fear a bit of trouble, but he was worried about the boy in the

same cell with him. The boy had light blond hair and blue eyes, but

his eyes were dull, and he was staring blankly at the floor in what

chaos could only see as despair.

"Are you alright?" chaos asked. The boy didn't respond. Chaos

went over to him and sat beside him. "Don't worry- it'll be okay... Hey,

have you lost your heart?" Chaos examined the boy. "No, your mind.

But it's still there. You must be that boy Quatre they were talking

about earlier. They took control of you, didn't they?"

Chaos seemed to be listening to something.

"I'm sure your friends will come for you," he said after a

moment. "It just might take a while, since it's so hard to travel around

in space. Hopefully, they know how to gate jump." Silence, then:

"Gate jumping? It's kind of like teleporting, I guess. It's really

fun, too. Maybe you'll get to experience it for yourself soon...The

Woglinde? You were there when that happened, huh? Was it really

the Heartless that attacked her?...Yes, I can destroy the Heartless

easily somehow, so they locked me up here..."

(Kingdom Hearts, Destiny Island)

Destiny Island was a lonely place when you're best friends were

away, Kairi found. She could often be found in Riku and Sora's

favorite places, the small island and the river and the tree house.

Today, she was sitting on the tree where Riku liked to sit, facing

the island with a gaze of thoughtful disgust.

"This stinks," she complained out loud. "I'm so bored."

Suddenly there was a bright light nearby, and when it faded, the

Gundam pilots appeared, looking slightly amazed and pleased with

themselves.

Kairi yelped in surprise and fell backwards, off the tree.

"Who are you?!" she demanded. "Oh! You have a Keyblade!

You must be friends of Sora's!" She went over to examine Heero's

Angelblade.

"Do you know Sora?" Trowa asked.

"He's my best friend! Him and Riku! I'm Kairi!" Kairi smiled

pleasantly at them.

"Sora spoke of you," Heero admitted. "We're here to retrieve the

Heartstone that resides within the Keyhole of this world, which resides

within a person's heart. Do you know anything about it?"

Kairi shook her head. "Is Sora helping you as well?" She asked.

"Please tell me that he's okay!"

"We saw your friend just a minute ago," Wufei replied. "He's

working with some guys named Link, Ashitaka, and Yugi. Do you

know them?"

"Never heard of them," Kairi admitted. "You're looking for the

Keyhole, huh? Well, Sora was never able to find the Keyhole in this

world, but if you say it resides in a person's heart, that would explain

why. His Keyblade can't unlock people's hearts."

"Guys," Trowa said. "What if the Keyhole is Sora's heart? We

can't leave here until we find it, and Sora's busy elsewhere, so what'll

we do?"

"That can't be!" Heero said angrily. "It has to be here

somewhere. It might even be her."

They all stared at Kairi. She stared back at them. Then she

chuckled nervously.

"Uh, so, what are your names?"

They introduced themselves. Then Trowa explained:

"Look, Kairi, if we don't bring together all the Heartstones within

the Keyholes, all the worlds will be in big trouble. Please, if the

Keyhole resides in you- if there's even the smallest possibility, we

have to try."

"I understand," Kairi agreed. "Do whatever you have to, but

please, when you get back, can you tell Sora to hurry up? A guy

named chaos was here a while ago and then someone came, and

chaos and Riku left with whoever it was. I'm here all by myself."

Heero nodded and raised the Angelblade. It began to glow and

wrenched to the side. The Keyhole opened and, cautiously, one of

them went inside and was back a moment later.

"Got it," Duo said triumphantly. "But you'll never guess what:

there's, like, doors leading to other people's hearts and what not in

there."

"I'll bet one leads to Sora's," Wufei said, as Heero gently locked

the unconscious girl's heart and laid her on the ground.

"It would be wrong to just leave her here," he mused. "Maybe

we should take her with us?"

"I'm sure she would like that," Wufei agreed. "And I doubt if

Sora would mind."

"Dibs on carrying her!" Duo said quickly.

Heero shot him a glare and lifted Kairi over his shoulder.

"But _Heero_- I called _dibs_!"

The portal appeared and they all stepped into it.

(The Temple Of Time)

Back at the Temple of Time, Zelda was waiting by herself.

"Back so soon?" she asked in surprise. "Sora and the other just

left for the next world."

"It wasn't hard," Trowa told her over his shoulder as he helped

Heero lower Kairi to the ground.

"Who's this?" Zelda wondered.

"This is Sora's friend," Heero explained. "We found the Keyhole

inside her, but I'm afraid we might have hurt her."

Zelda checked the girl over.

"She's not hurt; only asleep. But Sora will be really glad to see

her." Zelda smiled. "Don't worry," she added, seeing their faces. "You

didn't harm the mission by bringing her here. When she wakes up, I

bet she'll like it here. I'll take good care of her."

The pilots nodded.

"Ready for the next world?" Zelda asked.

"Yup!" Duo replied. "Only, Quatre's on a world somewhere,

right, so we'll come across him sooner or later, huh?"

"I'm sure you will," Zelda agreed. "He may even be on the same

world where you last saw him, but I've been unable to reach that

world since you last returned from there."

"There was a lot of evil forces at work there when we left,"

Wufei said. "That could be what's stopping you."

"That's true," Zelda sighed. "Don't worry you guys, we can

always try to overpower it again, and if that doesn't work, we can still

try physical space travel."

"The sooner we get these worlds together, the sooner we can

save Quatre and revive the lost worlds," Heero pointed out. "Let's go."

Zelda opened another portal, and the boys left.

Just then, Kairi woke up.

"Where am I?" she asked. "Who are you?"

"Don't worry," Zelda told her, smiling kindly. "The guys dropped

you off here after they retrieved the Heartstone. If you stick around,

you'll see Sora soon."

"And Riku?!"

Zelda shook her head and shrugged.

Kairi looked crestfallen, but then she brightened. "I should make

a gift for Sora," she said cheerfully. "That'll really surprise him! And I'll

make one for Riku, too, when I see him again."

(Kingdom Hearts: Hollow Bastion)

Quatre and chaos were both exhausted. It was nice and sunny

out, which was strange for such a gloomy place as the ruins of a

castle, but they were both panting for breath and struggling just to

stay on their feet, having been forced to fight each other.

Marik stood in the background, his Millennium Item raised.

Quatre's eyes were dull and void of emotion, but chaos could hear

the voice in his head, and it was full of regret.

"Just a little more," Ansem told Marik. "We must know the extent

of both boy's stamina."

Unable to stop himself, Quatre raised his hands and summoned

more Heartless.

'I'm sorry!' he told chaos.

"That's alright," chaos admitted, though he was too exhausted

to dodge anymore as the Heartless advanced. There was only one

way out of this mess. On the last of his strength, chaos followed the

Heartless directly to their source. Wings sprouted from his back, and

he rose into the air, struggling with the effort.

"What's this?" Ansem gasped. "Marik!"

Marik gritted his teeth and his violet eyes gleamed with malice

as used Quatre to summon an army of flight capable Heartless at

chaos. Chaos ignored them.

"You're going down!" he declared. "Angel Blow!" The field was

cleared of Heartless in an instant, and chaos returned to the ground.

Before his legs could fail him, he went for his true target. He rushed

over to Marik and prepared an attack.

"Heaven's Wrath!" Marik was knocked back several meters and

completely out. Quatre came to with a jolt.

"Chaos, you did it!" he cried.

"I couldn't have done it without your help," chaos said happily,

rushing past Ansem and going to Quatre. "Are you alright?"

"Interesting," Ansem mused. "Both boys are powerful, yet they

share the same bond as Riku and I. They can communicate beyond

the physical, even the mental ability. They are like brothers."

"Having fun with your games, Ansem?" Riku asked bitterly,

kicking at Marik as he made his way through the rubble. He was

sporting a lengthy new sword, lightweight black chest armor and knee

high dark boots.

"You don't approve of them, Riku?" Ansem laughed, using

magic to separate Quatre and chaos once more.

"You used to have better things to do."

"But these boys, whether they like it or not, are vital to my plans,

Riku," Ansem said absently. "Before, I tried to control the Heartless

without having the real ability, just the knowledge. But now I know all

there is to know about the Heartless, plus I can summon, control, and

destroy them at will." Riku didn't reply.

"What are Sephiroth and Seymour doing?"

"They're toying with this old mask they've found. They've placed

it on a Heartless, and it's been driven mad."

"I see," Ansem mused. "Anyway, Riku, I have a mission for you

that will test your loyalty."

Riku caught his breath.

"Do you know what kind of creature lives in Destiny Island?"

Ansem asked. Riku shrugged.

"Gulls...fish..." he fingered the stone in his pocket he'd gotten

earlier.

"I will tell you, and I will tell you how you can catch it and make it

your slave. If you can do that, then I'm sure I can trust you with more

important affairs."

Riku turned his head at an angle, a bit confused.

(Cowboy Bebop, on board the Bebop)

Zechs woke up to the feeling of pain so bad it hurt to think. But

he was splayed out on a couch and the cramp in his neck was

unbearable, so he moved over a bit, groaning.

"You're up?" someone asked, peering down at him. The man

had spiky green hair, a kind smile but bored eyes. "You should still be

asleep."

"I would be," Zechs grumbled, sitting up a little, "only I've got

this huge problem."

"Oh yeah?" the guy sat down in an armchair near the couch.

"What's that?"

"It hurts to sleep."

The green haired guy laughed. "Hey! You're pretty beat up. Lie

back down. My name's Spike."

"Zechs Marquise. Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall. Watch your step."

Zechs nodded and ignored the restrictive bandages wrapped

around his arms and chest, bracing himself against the wall as he

made his way to the bathroom. Spike heard sounds of intense

nausea for a moment and then the toilet flushed and Zechs returned.

"I feel like I died and went to hell," he groaned, settling down on

the couch and closing his eyes, a hand to his forehead.

"Close enough," a large man laughed, coming in.

"This is Jet," Spike introduced. "Jet, meet Zechs."

"Want a painkiller, Zechs?" Jet offered. "There's not a scratch of

food on board, but there's plenty of painkiller." He laughed.

"How effective is it?" Zechs asked.

"It should put you out for near a day or so," said a young-looking

woman behind Jet.

"Bring it on."

Zechs woke a while later, still in pain, but with a few hours sleep

behind him. A dog was licking his hand.

"I hate dogs," Zechs complained to it. The dog whined and

wagged its tail. 'Ein' its collar read.

"Ein, huh? Is that short for Einstein?"

The dog stared blankly at him, a little brown thing with stubby

legs.

"Ein! Ein!" someone was calling. A young girl with a mass of red

hair came in, cradling a laptop and a can of dog food. "Ein! Its time to

eat before Faye gobbles up your food again, yes it is!"

Ein barked and went to the girl, who stared at Zechs in

amazement, then took out a camera and started taking pictures of

him.

"What are you doing?" Zechs growled.

"Ed has always wanted to see a mummy!" the girl said excitedly.

"A live one, too!"

"How many people live on this ship?"

The girl sat down and opened her laptop and the can of dog

food.

"There's Spike, Ein, Jet, Faye, and Ed."

"And what about you?"

"I'm Ed."

Zechs groaned and shut his eyes.

"Enter. Open file. Tall Geese. Record data. Please wait."

Zechs opened his eyes and peered at Ed. She was wearing a

strange pair of goggles that were hooked up to the computer and her

hands were going in mid-air like she was insane.

"Obviously, the technology here is different than the stuff back

home," Zechs commented.

"Don't look at me," Spike said, coming in. "It's new to me, too.

Damn you, Ein, you woke him up, didn't you?"

Ein wagged his tail.

"That's alright," Zechs sighed. "I was having nightmares

anyway. Where am I?"

"You're on the spaceship Bebop. She's a beautiful hunk of crap,

if you know what I mean. You're lucky we came along when we did.

Jet reckons another few minutes and you would have died before we

could save you."

"Did you get the guy who did it?"

"Nah, he vanished. We picked up your ship though. She's in

rough shape."

"It's a he."

"Right."

"How can a ship be a he or a she?" Ed demanded.

"You've got a lot to learn about men," Faye retorted, entering.

"You poor baby," she crooned at Zechs, brushing back his hair. "You

must be so tired."

"Tired, not lonely," Zechs grumbled.

Faye snorted. "A woman can't get any respect around here,"

she complained.

"Not if they don't do any work," Spike agreed.

"What are you talking about? If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't

have caught that last bounty as easily as we did."

"That's true," Spike laughed. "Thank Faye for your bandages,

Zechs. We bought 'em with her money."

Zechs nodded solemnly.

"Hey, it's not like I'm the one who damn near killed him!" Faye

protested. "Who was that guy we saw attacking you, Zechs? How can

he survive without a spacesuit?"

"He's not human," Zechs explained. "His name's Sephiroth." He

told them all he knew.

"Heartless, huh?" Spike said when he'd finished. "I find that

hard to believe."

"So do I," Zechs admitted. "Let's not talk about it, okay? I don't

know much more beyond that."

"I believe you," Faye admitted.

"You're only saying that because you have the hots for him,"

Spike laughed.

"So?" Faye growled. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"There is when the guy's in a body cast," Jet spoke from the

doorway. "Hey, Spike. You interested in making an easy 54 million?"

"You bet!" Spike agreed.

"Then sell that ship we pulled in."

"The Tall Geese?"

Jet nodded. "Science would pay a lot of money for a crate like

that."

"Sell the Tall Geese?" Zechs jumped up, then fell back with a

groan.

"Why not?" Faye shrugged. "Its no good for shit in the shape its

in now."

Zechs sighed. "54 million, huh? That's my ship. I want 50.

You can have the other 27 million for saving my life, though, to be

truthful, I'm not worth that much."

"No arguments here," Spike said with a smile. "What're you

going to do with your half?"

"Me?" Zechs sighed. "I'm going to get another ship."

"You looking for revenge?"

Zechs nodded. "And there's someone I have to protect."

"Are you a body guard?" Faye asked.

"I guess you could say that. Try self-employed. And very under

paid." Zechs lay back, squashing Ein, who'd made a bed on the

couch, and went to sleep. Ein sobbed over the injustice.

"Then why are you still trying?" Faye asked.

"Call it..." Zechs hesitated, "Call it my sense of duty."

"Are you a cop?" Jet asked.

"N...No," Zechs smiled. "I'm a Preventer. Do you have

Preventers in this dimension?"

"Never heard of them," Spike admitted.

"Dimension! Dimension!" Ed cried. "Ed is coming to see you

someday!"

"Strange kid..." Zechs murmured.

Ed rolled over to him and peered at his bandages.

"Hmm..." she mused. "You like him, Faye?"

"Mmm, well," Faye smiled dryly. "A girl can dream, can't she?"

"What do you think, Ein?"

Ein barked, still struggling to rise under the weight of Zechs'

head.

"Ein says that Zechs likes you too!" Ed cheered. "Ein says

Zechs keeps glancing at your shirt!"

Zechs and Faye stared at each other for a tense moment. Then

they both blushed and looked away.

"I'd like to get some more sleep please," Zechs decided.

"Yeah, alright, we'll clear out of here for you," Spike agreed.

"Come on, guys."

Faye was the last to leave. She stopped at the door, her back

turned to Zechs.

"You know, cowboy," she mused. "I like your shirt, too." She left.

Zechs rolled over, smiling, and buried his face in the curve of

his arm, raising a hand to scratch at his collar before he realized he

wasn't wearing any shirt.

(Destiny Island)

Riku stared into the shallow depths of the twisting river that ran

through Destiny Island. It shone and chuckled pleasantly at him in the

moonlight. Riku took something out of his pocket and held it up to the

light of the moon. It was the stone he'd taken from the mouth of the

fish that'd jumped out of the river before.

"River spirit, huh?" he said softly. "Well, I guess I'll see if it's true

or not."

To be continued...

JM: And that's it. I'm all out of ideas. Any suggestions would be

helpful.

Sephiroth: I wanna kill Zechs.

JM: Besides that.

Zechs sighs in relief: Please review.


End file.
